Under the trees
by Andrew Hildreth
Summary: In an alternate universe, Shinji discovers that he has a talent for track running. He also discovers that an attractive exchange student has a major crush on him. SxA lemon galore! OoC out the wazoo. Finally updated and finished!
1. Prologue

Disclaimer!

I do not own, nor will I ever own, any of the Evangelion characters. :(

This story takes place in an altered Eva-verse where Shinji has no mental problems, other than being a little shy. Yui Ikari is still dead, leaving Gendao to raise Shinji by himself. Rei Ayanami is not a clone of Shinji's mother, just a quiet, shy girl at Shinji's school. Asuka Langley Soryu is just as obnoxious as ever, only now she is just an exchange student from Germany. Misato Katsuragi is Shinji's attractive school teacher. All of the boys fantasize about her, but she doesn't do younger men. There are no Angels, no Evas, just a normal life. Second Impact never occurred, nor is there any such thing as SEELE, NERV, or any other agency with a hidden agenda (other than normal government stuff). Every other person is the same as they always were, except for Toji Suzuhara. He and Shinji are not friends; they don't even go to the same school.


	2. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

Shinji, along with his best friend, Kensuke Aida, walked home as they always did after school. While they walked, they talked about what had happened to them throughout the day.

"Man, Shinji," Kensuke was saying, "I don't think Miss Katsuragi's _ever_ given a test as hard as today's was."

"What's the matter?" Shinji teased, "Didn't the 'brain child' study enough?"

"I studied plenty hard," Kensuke retorted, "It's just that the questions she asked us weren't really in the reading, that's all."

"Ahh, you never _were_ good at answering creatively," Shinji said.

They continued to walk and talk until they reached Kensuke's house, where they parted ways. Shinji still had another four blocks to walk to his house, but it was a Friday; in spring. He was in no hurry to get home yet. He pulled out his cell phone and called his dad. He told him that he would be home in time for dinner, then hung up, and turned to take the long way home.

Taking the long way home took Shinji for a walk in the city's central park. Shinji often walked home this way, partly because he enjoyed the outdoors, and partly because there were sometimes some cute girls out jogging.

Shinji wandered all through the park, stopping at koi ponds and turtle pools, and just generally enjoying himself. He looked around at the sound of running footfalls on the gravel path behind him.

It was Asuka. Asuka Langley Soryu. She was fairly new to the area. She was an army brat, used to moving around a lot. Her father was the one in the army. He was Japanese. He had met her mother while stationed in Germany, they fell in love, had Asuka, and blah, blah, blah.

Asuka never got tired of telling her life's story to anyone who would listen. Shinji never found himself tiring of listening to her talk. Kensuke found Asuka grating, and rather irritating, but Shinji liked her; a lot.

Every once in a while, Shinji had a dream that involved a red-headed girl, who bore a striking resemblance to Asuka, taking off her clothes, getting down on her knees and opening her mouth to suck Shinji's cock. And, just as her lips were about to wrap themselves around his cock, Shinji would always wake up; with a raging morning wood.

Shinji waved to Asuka. She slowed to a walk and walked over to where Shinji was standing. Her face and neck gleamed with sweat, and her chest heaved as she caught her breath. Her breasts protruded against the tank-top that clung to her sweat-drenched torso. Shinji felt his eyes bulging slightly as he took in her physical beauty.

"Hi Shinji," Asuka said cheerily. The sound of her voice snapped Shinji forcefully back to reality.

"Oh! Uh, hi," Shinji stammered, still slightly in shock.

"Are you okay?" Asuka asked.

"Yeah, I'm fine," Shinji said quickly, "you?"

"I'm good," Asuka said.

"Just out running?" Shinji asked.

"Yeah," Asuka said, "I'm trying to get in shape for the school's track team. I want to join."

Shinji's first impulse was to say that she already looked like she was in great shape. But instead he said, "That sounds great. I'm sure you'll do just fine."

As soon as he said it, he felt very dumb and childish.

"Thanks, Shinji," Asuka said with a smile, "You're a really nice friend."

Asuka turned and started to jog away. She looked back and waved to Shinji. He waved back and smiled, feeling himself turning a little red.

Shinji checked his watch and realized that he would have to haul ass in order to not be late for dinner. He took every shortcut and back alley that he knew in order to shave off precious minutes and get home faster.

When he had reached his front door, Shinji again checked his watch. He was amazed that only five minutes had passed since he last checked it because, even with his shortcuts, the route he took home was nearly a mile.

_A mile in five minutes,_ Shinji thought, _and I'm barely out of breath. It's amazing._

Shinji brooded and thought about it all through dinner. He just couldn't get it out of his head. The more he thought about it, the more he could only come to one conclusion.

"Dad," he said, "I'm going to try out for the school's track team."

"Well," Gendao said, "it's about time. I was beginning to wonder if you'd ever discover that you could run."

"Huh?" Shinji asked, totally thunderstruck. What was his dad talking about?

"You've been running fast and well since you were old enough to walk," Gendao said, "I watched you chase after other boys while they were riding bikes."

"Yeah," Shinji said, remembering, "I even caught them a couple of times, too."

"Yes, you did," said Gendao with a small chuckle, "Now, when I was your age, I was a runner myself. I was on my school's track team, and I was one of the fastest runners on the team. I was better at the sprints. You'll have to decide for yourself which event you are best at. Go get 'em kid."

"Thanks, dad," Shinji said.


	3. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

On Monday, Shinji went down to the Athletic Director's office.

"Hi," he said, "could you tell me who I have to talk to in order to sign up for the track team?"

"That would be Ms. Noguchi," the A.D. said, "Room 26, down the hall on your right."

"Thank you," Shinji said.

He walked down the hall to room 26 and knocked on the door. A tall lady with long, black hair answered it.

"Ms. Noguchi?" Shinji asked.

"Yes," she answered, "What can I do for you, young man?"

"My name is Shinji Ikari," Shinji said, "and I'd like to join the track team."

"_Ikari_, you say?" Ms. Noguchi said, raising her eyebrows, "You're not related to _Gendao_ Ikari by any chance, are you?"

"He's my father," Shinji said, "What, did you know my dad?"

"_Know_ him?" Ms. Noguchi asked, looking like Christmas had come early, "I went to school with him! He and I were in track together, we even _dated_ for a while. But then he met Yui, they fell for each other, they got married, and then she died shortly after you were born. God rest her soul. But, I digress.

"Your dad was one of the fastest high school sprinters in the country. I thought for sure that he'd make the Olympic team one day, and he almost did. Unfortunately, at one meet, he fell while running and tore his right ACL. That injury effectively ended his running career. It was unfortunate, but he still has a lot that he can teach you, if you want to learn from the best."

"So, I'm on the team?" Shinji asked hopefully.

"Darn _right_ you're on the team," Ms. Noguchi said emphatically, "If you're even _half_ as good as you're dad used to be, you'll be a welcome addition to our ranks. Conditioning starts in two weeks. Be ready to sweat."

"Yes, ma'am," Shinji said with a smile.

"Dad," Shinji said when he got home, "I did it. I'm on the team."

"That's good, Shinji," Gendao said, "very good. Now, regardless of which events you choose, you _have_ to be able to run long distances. That's just in case your coach puts you on cross country. It also helps to have that long distance stamina in a sprint, because you can recover faster and be ready to run again sooner. I would also suggest that you start building some muscle in your upper body to prepare you for field events like javelin, shot-put, and discus. I always preferred the shot-put."

"Ohhh….kayyyy," Shinji said awkwardly, "Um, dad, you kind of lost me after the 'long distance' part. I understand that I need to start working out, but you went kind of 'track jock' on me right there. It was a little weird."

"Sorry," Gendao said, "I guess I got a little over excited when you told me you were going to carry on the family legacy.

"If it helps, find someone else you know and enjoy being around to start your training with. I always used to take my dog for a run with me in the mornings, but we don't have a dog."

"Obviously," Shinji said.

"That being the case," Gendao continued, undaunted, "I suggest you find a friend on the team to train with. Do you know anyone else on the team?"

"I know someone who's interested," Shinji said, "I'll talk with her tomorrow."

Gendao's eyebrows went up in interest when Shinji said "her". Shinji turned and left the room and went to his bedroom.

_Asuka,_ Shinji thought, letting his thoughts wander freely, _I wonder what she thinks about all day. Does she think about me as often as I think about her? Probably not; girls don't fixate themselves on boys like boys do on girls. But maybe she _has_ sort of "picked" me? What would I say if she asked me out? Well, obviously I'd say yes. God, what kind of a retard would I have to be to say "no"? I might lose her to some asshole! No, I'll ask her out while we're training together._

The next day, Shinji walked up to Asuka in the hallway.

"Hey," Shinji said.

"Hi," Asuka said with a smile, "What's up, Shinji?"

"I was, um, wondering something," Shinji said nervously, "You're still training for the track team, right?"

"Not anymore," Asuka said, "I signed up this morning."

"Cool," Shinji said, "Well, I was thinking, I'm going to be on the team, too."

"Really?" Asuka asked, sounding excited, "That's so cool! That means we'll have lots of time to spend together."

_Nice,_ Shinji thought, _she _definitely_ likes me._

"Yeah," he said aloud, "and I thought that maybe you'd like someone to go running with in the evenings. How about it?"

"That sounds nice, Shinji," Asuka said, "I usually go running on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays. How's that sound?"

"Sounds great," Shinji said, "Damn. There's the bell, we'd better get to class."

Shinji and Asuka separated to head to their class rooms.

"Shinji!" Asuka called, "Wait for me after school, okay? I want to walk home with you."

"Sure thing," Shinji called back.

The remainder of the day seemed to drag by much slower than usual for Shinji. When the dismissal bell finally rang at 3 o'clock, Shinji found Kensuke and told him that he'd be walking Asuka home.

"Ah, ha," Kensuke said slyly, "Shinji, you devil. I always _knew_ you had it for Asuka."

"It's nothing like that," Shinji protested. Though, secretly, he knew Kensuke had hit a perfect bull's-eye. He _did_ have the hots for Asuka; bad.

"Yeah, okay," Kensuke said with a grin, obviously not believing a single word Shinji said, "right. Just don't be _too_ rough with her. You might want her for a second round."

"Why you—come here!" Shinji said, lunging for Kensuke.

Kensuke darted down the hallway, laughing hysterically. Shinji didn't give chase. Instead, he turned and headed for the door. Asuka was waiting outside for him

"Hi, Shinji-kun," she said sweetly.

Shinji smiled back and wondered why she was turning on the charm so much.

"So, where to?" she asked, hugging Shinji's left arm.

Shinji looked around him in the crowd. He could feel the jealous glares of many guys boring into his body. As he moved through the queue, Shinji could have sworn he heard somebody say, "What's Asuka see in that skinny little twerp?"

"Just ignore them, Shinji-kun," Asuka muttered.

Once they were clear of the school, Shinji started to head for the residential area near the army base.

"Let's go for a walk in the park, Shinji-kun," Asuka said, "please?"

"Aren't your parents expecting you home?" Shinji asked.

"Not for another couple of hours," Asuka said, hugging his arm a little tighter, "I just want to spend some more time with you."

Shinji felt pleased at hearing her say this, but at the same time, a question nagged at him.

"Asuka," he said, trying to sound casual, "how many other friends have you made since you came to the school?"

"A few," Asuka replied, "Most of the girls at school like and respect me because of my confidence and independence. The boys, true to form, prefer to stare at my tits and ass. I'm sure that most of them get their late-night jollies by looking at pictures of me.

"But not you, Shinji-kun," she continued, taking his hand and giving it a gentle squeeze, "I've never seen you ogle my tits or any other girls' tits. You treat me like a person, not a sex object, and that's why I like you. You're then only guy who treats me right."

_It's a good thing she can't see what I dream about her doing,_ Shinji thought, a guilty squirm building in his stomach, _Otherwise, she'd hate me, too._

They walked in silence together for a few blocks until they got to the park. Suddenly, Asuka picked up the pace of her walking and began to lead Shinji off of the walking trails.

"Asuka, where are you taking me?" Shinji asked, confused.

"My secret place," Asuka said, "It's where I hide when I want to be alone."

"Does anyone else know about it?" Shinji asked.

"Just you and me," Asuka replied with a smile.

She led Shinji to a close standing grove of trees about 50 yards from the main path. The trees were also blocked by a thick brush hedge that hid the first 6 feet of the trunks from view. The hedge completely surrounded the grove, and it looked impenetrable.

"This is the place," Asuka said, "Follow me, Shinji-kun."

Asuka got down on her hands and knees and crawled toward a small gap in the hedge. Shinji did likewise and found himself getting a very good view of Asuka's long, shapely legs. The school's uniform for girls included a rather short skirt, and the way Asuka was bent over left little to the imagination, due to the way it was making her skirt ride _way_ up her legs.

When they reached the other side of the hedge, Shinji and Asuka found themselves completely hidden and shielded from anyone who might happen by them.

Shinji's eyes wandered around the grove. There was a large patch of spongy green moss in the center of the ring of tall, thick-trunked trees. Shinji felt very private and comfortable, indeed.

Shinji's attention went back to Asuka when she walked up close to him and put her arms around his neck. She began pushing him backwards until he was pressed between her warm body and the trunk of one of the trees.

"A-Asuka," Shinji stammered, confused, "what are you--?"

"Shh," Asuka said, putting a finger to his lips, "Just relax, Shinji-kun."

Asuka smiled playfully, and then kissed Shinji full on the lips. She drew him in closer, moaning quietly as she opened her lips and traced her tongue around his lips.

Shinji opened his mouth and met her tongue with his own. As they kissed fiercely, Asuka began grinding her hips against Shinji's. Shinji felt his manhood becoming rampant.

Asuka guided Shinji's hands down to her buttocks. Shinji squeezed and fondled them, relishing the firm softness.

Asuka continued to grind as her hands flew to the buttons on Shinji's shirt. She quickly and expertly undid them and opened the shirt. Then she ran her hands up over Shinji's flat stomach, and then gently clawed them down over his chest.

Shinji groaned and slid his hands up Asuka's back, and then around to her front. He slid his hands down and gently cupped Asuka's breasts.

"Ohh, Shinji-kun," Asuka moaned into Shinji's ear, "squeeze my tits. Let me know you want me."

Shinji didn't hesitate any further. He popped open the buttons on Asuka's school blouse and peeled it off of her. Asuka reached behind her back and popped the clasp on her bra, exposing her C-cup rack to Shinji's hungry gaze.

Shinji brought his hands back up and began to squeeze and knead Asuka's love mounds. Asuka moaned appreciatively. Shinji nuzzled into Asuka's neck and sucked on her pulse point.

"Please, Shinji," Asuka whimpered, "Do that to my nipples!"

Shinji obliged her, running his tongue down her body to her erect nipples. He flicked one with his tongue, while rolling his thumb over the other.

Asuka went wild, moaning loudly and arching her back in an attempt to get more of Shinji's mouth onto her sensitive nipple. Shinji held his head away from her breast, teasing her with his tongue. Occasionally, he would lightly brush her nipple with his lips.

Finally, Asuka couldn't stand anymore. She dropped to her knees and groped wildly for Shinji's belt.

She practically tore Shinji's pants off in her desperate attempt to get at his hard-on. Once she had his pants down, Asuka wrapped one hand around his rock-hard shaft and pumped it vigorously. With her other hand, she hefted Shinji's balls.

Shinji groaned with pleasure as Asuka stroked him. He twisted his fingers into her hair. As if it were a signal, Asuka leaned forward and ran her tongue over the head of Shinji's throbbing cock.

Asuka looked up at Shinji, her green eyes wild with hunger and lust. Shinji nodded for her to continue.

Asuka plunged her head forward, engulfing the head and three inches of Shinji's dick in one go. She pulled back slightly, and then went forward again, this time gulping down all seven inches of Shinji's hard meat.

With a small gag, Asuka released Shinji's cock. Shinji was in heaven.

"Oh, god, Asuka-chan," he groaned as she took him deep into her throat, "that feels so fucking incredible!"

Asuka began bobbing her head up and down on Shinji's cock, sucking him like a porn star. Shinji groaned and urged her on.

Asuka stopped sucking and wrapped her hand around his dick again. She didn't pump him; she just squeezed it gently; enough to keep him hard and wanting more, but not enough to get him off.

"Asuka-chan," Shinji moaned, "please!"

"Please, what, Shinji-hentai?" Asuka asked seductively.

"Please, Asuka-chan," Shinji begged, "make me cum!"

"Poor Shinji-kun," Asuka said, mock sympathy crossing her face, "Do you mean to say that you think I'm not going to let you cum? Don't be silly Shinji dear. I'm going to make you cum, but only when I'm sure you'll cum nice and hard for me."

Shinji groaned loudly. Why was Asuka being such a seductress? Right now, Shinji didn't care. All he wanted was to climax and blast his load in Asuka's mouth.

Asuka released Shinji's cock and stood up.

"Now, Shinji-kun," she said, "I'm going to strip the rest of my clothes off, and I'm going to get myself off. You're going to stand there and watch, like a good little pervert, but you're _not_ allowed to touch yourself, do you understand?"

Shinji nodded reluctantly.


	4. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

Asuka gave Shinji another searing kiss, and then turned and walked away from him about four feet.

Slowly and seductively, Asuka unzipped her skirt and let it fall. She was wearing a black silk thong underneath. Shinji's cock ached and throbbed; he _badly_ needed release. Despite Asuka's command, Shinji took his cock in his right hand and began to jerk himself off. Asuka saw him.

"Ah, ah, ah," Asuka said, wagging a finger at him, "No, no, Shinji. You're not allowed to touch yourself, remember?"

"Please, Asuka, _please_!" Shinji pleaded desperately, "I need to cum so _badly_! It's too much torture!"

"Oops!" gasped Asuka.

She darted back over to Shinji and dropped to her knees again. She hungrily gulped down Shinji's aching cock and sucked it hard.

With a loud groan of release, Shinji unleashed an enormous jet of cum, followed by another, and yet another. Shinji didn't feel like he'd ever stop cumming. Asuka gave up trying to swallow it all and just let it splash all over her face and tits.

"Thank you, Shinji-kun," Asuka said, standing up and kissing him passionately.

"Why did you torture me so much?" Shinji asked weakly, leaning heavily on the tree behind him.

"Oh, Shinji-kun, I'm so sorry," Asuka said sincerely, cleaning herself up, "I didn't mean to torture you; I just wanted to _tease_ you a little. I love you, Shinji. I've loved you since the first day I ever saw you."

Shinji didn't know what to say, or even think. Asuka's face became very panicked and concerned.

"Oh, my god," she gasped, her voice a frightened whisper, "I moved too aggressively too fast, didn't I? You probably think I'm nothing but a whore now."

Her face changed again. Now, Asuka began to sob, and tears began to roll down her lovely face. The sight of those tears brought Shinji's mind back into focus. He quickly hiked his pants back up, fastened them loosely, then stepped up and took the weeping girl into his arms. He held her gently and lightly stroked her hair.

"Shh, now," he said soothingly, "I don't hate you, Asuka-chan. How could I hate someone as beautiful and bold as you?"

"But-but, I nearly gave you blueballs, just to tease you," Asuka sobbed in protest, "I led you to this place just to have sex with you! I've taken advantage of your willingness! I'm sorry! I just want to know want to know what a meaningful relationship feels like before I have to move again!"

Asuka broke down completely. She sobbed uncontrollably into Shinji's shoulder, still naked except for her thong. Shinji continued to hold and comfort her for several minutes. Finally, he raised her face up and looked her in the eyes.

"Asuka-chan, look at me," he directed, "Do I look angry or upset with you?"

"N-no," Asuka said, beginning to calm down.

"I understand that you move around a lot," Shinji said, "But I also know that sex doesn't necessarily create a meaningful relationship."

"I-I know," Asuka said, looking away.

"Why don't we get dressed, and then I take you home?" Shinji suggested.

"No, please, Shinji-kun," Asuka begged, "Let's stay here just a little longer."

"Asuka, your parents are probably worried sick about you," Shinji said, "We've been out here for almost an hour."

"I know," Asuka said defiantly, "but I don't care. I'd rather spend time with my lover."

"It's time to go, Asuka," Shinji said firmly, then added apologetically, "It's not that I _want_ you to go home. Far from it! I'd like you to still be sucking my cock, but you _need_ to go home. How about dinner tomorrow at my place, after we run?"

"It's a date, Shinji-kun!" Asuka said happily. Then, she threw her arms back around Shinji's neck and they proceeded to make out for another 10 minutes before Asuka finally got dressed. Then, they crawled out of the grotto and headed for Asuka's house near the army base.

"I'll see you tomorrow, 'kay?" Shinji said, giving Asuka a quick peck on the lips.

"Night, Shinji-kun," Asuka said.

Shinji decided he imagined it, but he thought that, just as she was reaching for the doorknob, he heard Asuka say: "Shist. Well, here we go again." He passed it off as nothing.


	5. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

Shinji waited for Asuka outside her house the next morning.

When Asuka finally appeared, Shinji saw right away that she had put on an enormous amount of make-up; far more than was necessary. She also didn't seem to want to smile or meet Shinji's eye.

"Asuka-chan, are you okay?" Shinji asked, concerned.

"Yeah," Asuka replied. Her voice was bright and cheerful, but it seemed false. It was like she was only _acting_ happy.

As they walked on to school together, Shinji kept glancing over at Asuka. She kept the right side of her face covered by her hair, and turned away from him.

"Asuka, what's—?" Shinji began.

"It's nothing, Shinji!" Asuka snapped angrily, "Okay?!"

"Okay, okay," Shinji said, "take it easy! You're just acting way different than you were yesterday. I'm worried about you, Asuka-chan."

"I'm _fine_, Shinji," Asuka insisted, though she didn't sound sure, "Really, I am. I'll see you after school, okay?"

Asuka rushed off to class without waiting for a reply.

Shinji pondered it all day. Why had Asuka gone from desperate for his attention, to cold and aloof overnight? Something didn't add up.

_Something happened last night,_ Shinji decided, _but what? She won't show me her face, and she's wearing too much make-up. Someone beat her up! At her house, though?_

For one horrifying moment, Shinji's thoughts were still. Then the truth, the shocking revelation, hit him like a speeding truck.

_She's been abused._

The revelation floored him. Asuka had an abusive home life, who knew?

_I have to talk to her after school, whether she wants to or not,_ Shinji resolved, _she needs help._

At the end of his last class, Shinji went to the boys' locker room and changed into a pair of running shorts, and pair of sneakers, and a T-shirt. He left and waited outside the girls' locker room for Asuka.

Shinji stood and waited for almost 15 minutes. He began to wonder whether Asuka had forgotten that they were going running today.

"Who are you waiting for, Mr. Ikari?"

Shinji turned at the sound of the authoritative tone. It was Ms. Noguchi.

"Oh, Ms. Noguchi," Shinji said, "I've been waiting here for Asuka. We were supposed to be going running today."

"Well, you'll be waiting for quite a while," Ms. Noguchi said, "She took off as soon as the bell rang."

_Damn!_ Shinji thought, "Would you have _any_ idea at all where she might have gone?"

"Sorry, Ikari," Ms. Noguchi said, "but you're on your own, there. Good luck."

Shinji left the school and jogged quickly to the park. As Shinji had observed, Asuka frequented the park for her runs.

_Where are you Asuka-chan?_ He thought, worried.


	6. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

Shinji began to scour the park. He checked all of the trails, to no success. He began to get very worried. Then, he remembered something.

_Her secret spot,_ he thought, snapping his fingers, _that's _got_ to be where she is._

Shinji altered his course and dashed off into the woods. Desperation changed his jog into a sprint. He dodged between trees and hurdled low bushes.

Finally, he found his way back to the stand of trees with the hedge running around it.

"Asuka!" he said loudly, "Are you in there? It's me, Shinji!"

"Leave me alone!" was her shouted reply.

"Asuka, I'm worried about you," Shinji said earnestly, "Why are you avoiding me?"

"I don't want to talk about it," Asuka replied stubbornly.

_You may not _want _to,_ Shinji thought, _but you're _going_ to._

"Asuka, I'm coming in, okay?" Shinji said, and began to crawl through the entrance hole.

"No!" Asuka shouted, "Go away, Shinji! I don't _want_ you to see me like this!"

"Like wh--?" Shinji began to ask. He cut short when he finally saw the right side of Asuka's face.

She looked a real mess. The make-up was running in places; obviously she had been crying.

Without the make-up, Shinji saw the terrible truth of the extent of her injuries.

Her right eye was very puffy and swollen, though Asuka had kept her hair down to try and cover part of her face. She had a distinctly visible shiner around the eye, and her lip looked cut and swollen in places. Compounding this were tear-swollen eyes and running make-up.

"Asuka-chan…" Shinji whispered, taken aback.

"It's nothing," Asuka said, turning away again.

Asuka was in her running gear. That gear included a tank-top. When she turned away, Shinji got a look at her shoulders. They sported large black and purple bruises.

"Asuka-chan, what happened to you?" Shinji asked, finally finding his voice.

"I…fell," Asuka said hesitantly.

"I don't think you did," Shinji said firmly, "Those bruises look like fist marks. Who hit you, Asuka?"

"No one hit me," Asuka insisted, "I told you, I fell down the stairs!"

"People who are abuses _always_ use the 'I fell down' excuse to explain their bruises. Who did it?"

"I don't know what you're talking about!" Asuka lied defensively.

"Yes, you do, dammit!" Shinji said angrily, "Was it your father? Did he hit you?"

"Nein!" Asuka shouted, starting to cry again, "Nein, my papa loves me! He only hits me when I've been bad!"

"Does he always leave bruises?!" Shinji demanded.

"Shinji-kun, you're scaring me!" Asuka wailed.

Shinji's attitude changed instantly.

_What am I doing?_ He thought, _I'm trying to _help _her, not make it worse._

"Asuka-chan, I'm sorry," Shinji said, his voice soft and gentle, "It's just that…the thought of someone hurting my Asuka-chan pisses me off. I was wrong to unleash my anger at you."

Asuka turned to face Shinji, still weeping uncontrollably. She threw herself into Shinji's arms and clung to him. Shinji held her gingerly, not wishing to put pressure on her bruises.

"Asuka, please," Shinji said in the same gentle voice, "you have to tell me who did this. You _can't_ keep quiet about this. Someone _has_ to be told. I want to help you."

Suddenly, it was like a cork popped, and everything that Asuka had been holding back exploded to the surface.

"Oh, Shinji-kun, it _was_ my papa," she said, talking very fast, "He drinks; heavily. And when he's drunk, he gets angry, and he hits momma and me. That's why we move around so much. He keeps getting in trouble on the bases."

"So, he drinks," Shinji echoed, "Asuka-chan, I'm glad you finally told someone. Why haven't you ever called the police?"

"When he goes into one of his rages, papa threatens to kill us if we tell anyone," Asuka said, "Shinji-kun, I'm so scared. That's why I didn't want to go home yesterday. I really enjoyed the time we spent together, and I really _do_ love you, Shinji-kun. But I don't like going home."

"Shh, Asuka-chan," Shinji said, his voice even more gentle than before, "We'll take care of this. You come home with me. Then, we'll call the police, and you tell them everything that you told me. I'll be right there with you every step of the way."

Asuka's eyes brimmed with fresh tears. But this time, they were tears of relief and happiness.


	7. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

Shinji pulled out his cell phone and called his dad.

"Hello, dad?" he said, "Yeah, it's me. No, I'm fine. Now, don't freak out when I ask this, but could you meet me at the police station? No, I'm being completely serious. I need you to meet me at the station. Yes, it's _very_ important. It concerns my new girlfriend. Yes, she's _in_ trouble, but _she's_ not the trouble. Yes, dad—Dad! Just meet us there, I'll explain it then, okay? Bye."

Shinji hung up.

"Let's go, Asuka-chan," Shinji said gently.

They walked to the police station together and waited for Shinji's father. They only had to wait for five minutes.

"All right, son," Gendao said seriously, "I'm here. Now what the hell's going on?"

"Abuse, dad," Shinji answered, "Look."

Shinji turned Asuka to face his dad. Gendao's face went from curiosity, to shock, then to parental rage (in that order), in rapid succession.

"_Who?!_" was all Gendao could growl through tightly clenched teeth.

"My papa," Asuka said quietly.

She went on to tell Shinji's father what she had told Shinji about her father. His face contorted with further rage.

"Shinji is so compelling," Asuka continued, "He followed me today. He knew where to find me, and I guess I _wanted_ him to find me. He had already deduced what had been happening to me, but he wanted to hear it from me to know for sure. He began to question me. At first, he was very angry. He frightened me. But, then he became very gentle, and I told him everything."

"You're a good kid, Shinji," Gendao said, patting Shinji on the back, "I'm very proud of you."

"Thanks, dad," Shinji replied.

They all walked into the station and stated their reason for being there. A lady officer came out to meet them.

"Lieutenant Ibuki," she said, shaking their hands, "Which one of you is the plaintiff?"

"I am," Asuka said.

"If you'd come with me, then, dear, we'll get down to business."

Asuka looked nervously over at Shinji.

"Don't worry," Shinji said bracingly, "She seems nice enough."

"You may accompany her, if it would make her more comfortable," Ibuki said.

"Please, Shinji-kun?"

"Of course, Asuka-chan," Shinji said with a gentle smile.

The three of them walked to a room where the police do their questioning. Lt. Ibuki sat down first.

"Something to drink?" she asked, "Tea, water, anything?"

"No, thank you," Shinji replied.

"No, thanks," Asuka said.

"All right, then," Ibuki said, pulling out a report sheet, "tell me everything."

For nearly an hour, Asuka told Lt. Ibuki about how her father had wanted a son and was disappointed when Asuka was born a girl.

"How did you know your father was disappointed?" Lt. Ibuki asked.

"I overheard him and momma arguing about it one night," Asuka answered.

Asuka answered all of Lt. Ibuki's questions, occasionally looking to Shinji for support. After all of the questions were finally done, Lt. Ibuki stood up and said, "Thank you very much. We'll have a warrant in a day or two. Sit tight, and be brave. You're going to be just fine."

"I'd like to believe her," Asuka said later, "but I'm just not sure. I mean, when papa finds out, he's going to be _furious_!"

"Call me if you get scared," Shinji said, handing Asuka a slip of paper with his cell number on it, "I'll be there as fast as I can."

"Thanks so much for everything, Shinji-kun," Asuka said, "Good night."

Asuka walked up to her front door, took one more look at Shinji, then opened to door and went inside.

Shinji awoke with a start at the sound of his cell phone ringing beside his bed. He glanced at his alarm clock. The display read 10:55 pm.

"Hello?" he said sleepily.

Asuka's frantic voice came over the line.

"Shinji?!"

"Asuka, what's wrong?" Shinji asked, instantly alert.

"It's papa," Asuka said, "he's drunk again, and he knows I went to the police! Help me, Shinji-kun! I'm afraid he's really going to hurt me badly this time! He has a knife!"

The last sentence echoed in Shinji's mind as he scrambled into his clothes. He dialed 911 as he bolted out of his front door.

"Hello, police?" he said as he sprinted down the road, "This is Shinji Ikari. I was just at the station today with Asuka Soryu. Listen; get a police car to her house immediately! She just called me and said her father's threatening her with a knife. Hurry, please!"

He hung up the phone and sprinted flat out. When he reached the house, he threw himself against the front door, blasting it open.

"Asuka!" he shouted, "Where are you?!"

"Shinji? Help, please!"

The screaming was muffled through the ceiling. She was upstairs, presumably in her bedroom. Shinji bolted for the stairs and dashed up them two and three at a time.

At the top, he saw a man in a sloppy uniform, pounding on a door. He had a large kitchen knife in his right hand.

"Who the hell're you?!" the man demanded, brandishing the knife towards Shinji.

"I'm Shinji Ikari," Shinji answered, trying to stay calm even though he was both angry and scared at the same time.

"So, what about it?" the father slurred.

"I'm Asuka's boyfriend," Shinji said.

"I thought I recognized you," the man drawled, squinting at Shinji, "You're the punk I saw my slut of a daughter walking home with yesterday! You're just like her! Worthless! You're both worthless!"

The intoxicated man lumbered towards Shinji, slashing the air wildly with his knife. Shinji managed to narrowly avoid getting a bad wound.

However, Shinji underestimated the man's agility. The man turned quickly and pounced on Shinji, tackling him to the floor. The man lost his grip on his knife, however, and Shinji managed to kick it out of the man's reach before he could pick it back up.

The man bellowed with rage.

"You're dead, you little bastard!" the enraged drunk roared, "Dead! Just like my worthless daughter will be soon!"

Shinji felt a pair of powerful hands close around his throat and squeeze tightly. He couldn't breathe! He also had no way of overpowering the man to escape this certainty of death.

_Asuka-chan…_he thought weakly as his mind began to fade to blackness, _I…love…youuu…_

Just as he blacked out, Shinji felt the hands release him and heard the man yelling in pain. The last thing Shinji saw was the gleaming of light on a policeman's badge.


	8. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

Shinji awoke with a splitting headache and a sore throat.

With a groan, he sat up and took stock of where he was. Though the room was darkened, Shinji recognized where he was by the smell. It smelled like death and disinfectant.

_I'm in a hospital,_ Shinji thought, _I can't wait to get out of here. I _hate_ hospitals. I wonder how long I've been out. It's…12:30 in the morning. Damn, I was out for almost two and a half hours! I wonder who stopped Asuka's dad from killing me._

Shinji's eyes wandered around the room until they fell on a figure slumped in a chair along the wall by the door. Shinji focused his eyes through the dark on the figure and tried to see who it was. As he focused, he picked out a familiar set of shapely legs and an outline of a lovely face.

"Asuka," he whispered hoarsely.

_Damn, but my throat hurts, _Shinji thought, _Asuka's father is really strong. I can barely talk._

Despite the pain, Shinji was relieved to see that Asuka was well.

Shinji coughed and then clutched his throat in pain. The sound was enough to cause the sleeping girl to stir.

"Shinji-kun?" she whispered, "Are you awake?"

"Yeah," Shinji rasped, the re-clutched his throat.

_My throat feels like it's on fire,_ he thought after the worst of the pain had subsided.

Shinji felt someone sit down on the bed next to him and throw their arms around him. Shinji knew it had to be Asuka, and gratefully put his arms around her, relieved that there was no I.V. needle in his arm.

"My brave hero," Asuka said, burying her face in Shinji's shoulder, "You risked everything to save me! Are you okay?"

Shinji took one of her hands, brought it up to his face, and nodded so she could feel it.

"Why won't you speak to me, Shinji-kun?" Asuka asked, sounding slightly hurt.

Shinji braced himself for the pain.

"Throat," he rasped, "Hurts."

And it did just that. Those two one-syllable words evoked such a powerful stab of pain that Shinji gasped and grabbed his throat again. He took deep, rapid breaths, trying desperately to stave off the tears of pain that were burning in his eyes.

"Oh, _Shinji_!" Asuka gasped, "I'll get the doctor and your dad."

_I didn't wake dad up when I left,_ Shinji thought, _the police must have called him when I was admitted._

Asuka got up and ran to the door. Outside in the hall, lights poured their brilliance into Shinji's darkened room. Shinji heard Asuka say: "He's awake. Get the doctor, there's something wrong with his throat."

Moments later, Asuka re-entered the room, followed by Shinji's father and a woman with a stethoscope around her neck.

"I'm Dr. Akagi," the woman said, turning on the room lights, "How are you feeling, Shinji?"

Shinji groaned heavily.

"That's to be expected after a near-suffocation," Dr. Akagi said understandingly, "It would have been _death_ if the police officer hadn't tasered your attacker when they did. You're very lucky to be alive, young man."

"Lucky," Gendo said with a derisive snort, "What you did was damned _stupid_, Shinji, going after a crazed man like that."

"You shouldn't be so harsh with your son," Dr. Akagi said, "From what this young lady has told me, as well as what I've been told by the police, if Shinji hadn't called them and then acted himself, it might have been _her_ who would be in this hospital bed, or worse, the _morgue_. Your son did a very brave and heroic thing this evening. You should be proud of him."

Even if Shinji _had_ been able to speak, there wouldn't have been suitable words to express his gratitude for this woman coming to his defense.

"So," Dr. Akagi said, turning back to Shinji, "I'll bet your throat hurts pretty badly, doesn't it?"

_Thank you, Dr. Obvious!_ Shinji thought sarcastically, _What's your next brilliant observation?_

"The pain should subside in a few days," Dr. Akagi continued, "Until then, you should rest your voice. Avoid talking if at all possible, and be sure to drink plenty of fluids. We can release you in the morning, okay?"

Shinji nodded, happy to finally hear some good news. Dr. Akagi turned to leave. Then, she turned back and said:

"You should try to go back to sleep, you need your rest."

Shinji nodded again.

"I'll see you in the morning, Shinji," Gendo said, "Come on, Asuka, we should let him rest."

"No," Asuka said, "I'm staying with Shinji. He might need me."

Shinji could have kissed her right then, but was saved the trouble when Asuka sat down on the bed, put her arms around his neck and kissed him passionately.

"Stay out of trouble, you two," Gendo said, a small quirk in his lips.

"Oh, we will," Asuka said innocently, breaking the kiss for a moment.

_Not,_ Shinji thought, but nodded in agreement with Asuka. Gendo eyed the two of them for another moment, then left, closing the door behind him.

Once she was sure that everyone had left for good, Asuka got up, locked the door, and turned the lights back off. As she walked back over to Shinji, she peeled her shirt over her head and grinned slyly. Shinji smiled as comprehension dawned on him of what she had in mind.

"Now remember, Shinji-kun," Asuka said in a good impression of any mother, "you're supposed to be resting. That means that you just lay there and relax while I do all the work, okay?"

As she spoke, Asuka undid her shorts and stepped out of them. Then, she unclasped her bra and removed it. She climbed into bed and gave Shinji another of her searing, arousing kisses. Shinji's half-hard cock rapidly jumped to full mast and raised a tent in his sheets. All that Shinji had on was a set of hospital pajamas. Asuka pulled the sheets down and unbuttoned the shirt.

"Now, Shinji-kun," Asuka whispered, "It's time for me to release that straining boner of yours and give you your reward for rescuing me."

With that, Asuka slid her fingers under the waistband of Shinji's pajama bottoms and tugged gently. The light-weight material slid down and off of Shinji's legs, allowing his hard-on to spring free. In the dim light, Shinji saw Asuka lick her lips hungrily. Then, wrapped her hand around Shinji's pulsing staff and stroked him vigorously.

As if in answer to a question that Shinji had in his mind, Asuka said, "Don't worry, Shinji-kun. I'll only tease you a little bit tonight."

After she said this, Asuka brought her face down to Shinji's crotch and started licking Shinji's cock, holding it at the base like a lollipop. Next, she bathed Shinji's balls with her tongue, drawing a sigh of pleasure from Shinji. She stroked him a little bit more while continuing to tongue his sack. Then, she moved her mouth back up to Shinji's cock and wrapped her lips around the head.

While she held the head in her mouth, Asuka flicked and stroked it with her tongue while pumping Shinji's shaft with her hand. Asuka kept this treatment up for a few minutes, and then moved on to a full-out blowjob. She plunged her head down, swallowing Shinji's meat stick to its root. Then, after completely releasing it, she did it again. Shinji was lost in a world of sexual bliss.

_Oh—my—_god he thought, _Asuka is so good! This feels incredible! Shit!_

Shinji watched and sighed with pleasure as Asuka began to bob her head up and down. Once again, she was sucking him like a pro. Shinji looked down and saw that Asuka had a hand inside her panties, playing with herself. Shinji reached his own hand down and stroked the inside of Asuka's thighs. Without releasing Shinji's cock, or even breaking her rhythm much, Asuka slid her panties off, and moved up to straddle Shinji's face. Shinji slid a finger up and down the soaked entrance to Asuka's cleanly shaved pussy.

"Oh, Shinji-kun," Asuka moaned softly, "Finger my pussy. Fuck my tight little snatch with your strong fingers!"

_I'll do more than that,_ Shinji thought.

He worked one finger into Asuka's pussy, and then a second. When he added the second finger, Asuka released his cock with a gasp. With a loud moan, she took his dick back into her mouth and he began fucking her with his digits. Then, to Asuka's surprise, Shinji pulled his fingers out of her pussy. He reached up and gripped her ass with both hands and pulled her down on top of him. Asuka began to grind her soaking pussy against Shinji's face. Shinji stuck out his tongue and began licking at Asuka's pussy.

"Oh, _Shinji-kun_!" Asuka whispered excitedly. She started sucking him harder and faster than she had before. Shinji flicked his tongue over the hard little nub of flesh that was her clit, causing Asuka to spasm with pleasure. Shinji kept a firm grip on Asuka's ass as he ate her. Soon, Asuka whimpered, "Shinji-kun, you're so good! Oh, god, I'm cumming!"

And cum she did. Asuka's body began to shiver and jerk. With a loud gasp and a long, drawn out sigh, Asuka drenched Shinji's face with her juices. The experience was too much for Shinji to handle. As Asuka continued her relentless sucking, Shinji felt his cock swell in her mouth. Next, he groaned and let loose with a release that was almost as powerful as his first time. This time, however, Asuka was able to swallow it all. Shinji's face was slick with Asuka's girl-goo.

"Poor Shinji-kun," Asuka whispered, "I made you all dirty. I guess I should clean you up a little."

Asuka then proceeded to lick all of her juices off of Shinji's face, ending with a long kiss.

"How was it, Shinji-kun?" Asuka asked after re-dressing; somewhat hastily.

"Great," Shinji rasped. Funnily enough, his throat and head hadn't hurt at all while Asuka was giving him head.

_I guess that's because I had better things to occupy my thoughts,_ he reasoned.

A.N. here you are, loyal readers! finally an update! more on the way soon, I promise! Please read and review.


	9. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

Shinji, after putting his pajamas back on, laid back down and dozed for the remaining hours of the night. He couldn't completely fall back asleep for several reasons: One, his sore throat kept throbbing painfully. Two, the sounds and smells of the hospital were unfamiliar to him, so they kept him awake. But third, and most distracting, was the fact that he couldn't guide his thoughts to any subject other than what he had just done with Asuka.

_That's twice in as many days,_ he thought during one of his many awake periods, _I wonder…will this become a regular part of our workouts together? That wouldn't be so bad._

Asuka went back over along the wall and stretched out on the line of chairs to sleep. She did it reluctantly, because she and Shinji had _both_ wanted to share the bed. When Gendo returned in the morning to sign Shinji out, he brought a pad of lined paper and a mechanical pencil. Shinji was repulsed by the idea of having to _write_ what he wanted to _say_, but he had to respect what the doctor ordered.

"Feeling any better today?" Gendo asked when they got out to the car.

"_Much,_" Shinji wrote.

"Is your throat still bothering you?" Gendo asked.

"_Some,_" wrote Shinji in response.

While Gendo was driving, he couldn't look over to read the pad, so Shinji had Asuka read aloud what he was writing. When the trio got back to Shinji's house, Asuka got out of the car and began to head home. Gendo stopped her.

"Asuka, wait a moment," Gendo said, "You can't go home. The police have it taped off as a crime scene. I knew Shinji would want it, so I suggested to your mother that she and you stay with us for a while until this mess gets sorted out."

"_Danke shoen!_" Asuka exclaimed happily. What she said was German for "thank you very much".

Shinji wished he could speak to express his excitement. He couldn't agree with his father more. He couldn't think of any place where he'd rather see Asuka than in his house, where he could be with her all the time. However, Shinji was confined to his muteness. Right from the first hour, Shinji began to get increasingly more frustrated.

If Shinji thought trying to function at _home_ was difficult, it was _nothing_ to what he would endure trying to last through _school_ the next day. Word had spread like wildfire of Shinji and Asuka's romance. But these rumors traveled at a _snail's_ pace compared to the tale of Shinji's heroic rescue and harrowing near-death experience.

People were coming up to Shinji left and right, asking him questions about what happened, and how he survived a strangle-hold. Obviously, Shinji wasn't really able to talk about it, due to the fact that he wasn't _able_ to talk, but Asuka stuck with him and acted as a sort of publicist for Shinji. Not only did she shoo away hecklers and pesky repeat questioners, but she also drove off several girls who were fawning over "Shinji the Hero".

"_Asuka,_" Shinji wrote, "_there's no need for you to be so protective._"

"Well, I don't want anyone stealing you away," Asuka responded.

"_Don't be so paranoid,_" Shinji wrote, "_you know you're the only girl for me._"

"I know," Asuka replied, "but I also know that desire is a funny thing. Besides, I'd rather not see my boyfriend with a group of strange girls hanging on him. I mean, how would that look?"

"_How do you think _I'd _feel?_" Shinji scribbled, "_A guy with a beautiful girl that he loves more than his own life, surrounded by a group of strange girls that hero-worship him, but probably don't care anything for him? I'd feel like a trophy being put on display._"

"I guess it _would_ be kind of awkward," Asuka admitted, "Still, it makes me uncomfortable seeing you around so many other girls like that."

"_Don't worry,_" Shinji reassured her, "_I only have eyes for you._"

Asuka smiled and gave Shinji a quick kiss.

Shinji's laryngitis persisted for another day before he was finally able to use his voice. He woke up in the morning and gave an experimental cough. His throat didn't hurt. He tried speaking softly.

"Hello," he said softly. He didn't whisper, he merely spoke in a low voice. His voice gargled, but it didn't hurt. He cleared his throat and tried again. His voice sounded creaky, but not overly so.

_Good,_ Shinji thought, _I can finally ditch that stupid pad of paper._

Shinji walked out to the kitchen where everyone was sitting down for Saturday breakfast. Asuka noticed him first.

"Guten morgan, Shinji-kun," she said brightly. Up until that morning, Shinji had only smiled and made an acknowledgement with his hand. This morning, however, Shinji smiled and said:

"'Morning."

A shocked look crossed every face at the table. After a few moments, Gendo spoke. He sounded amused.

"He speaks," he said.

"Yes, I speak again, finally," Shinji said.

"Well, there goes our peace and quiet," Gendo joked.

"Thanks, dad," Shinji said sarcastically.

"Do you have plans for today?" Asuka's mother asked.

"Since we didn't make it out yesterday—" Shinji started.

"—we thought we'd go out running today," Asuka finished.

"So, you're completing each other's sentences now, are you?" Gendo asked.

"Not all the time—" Shinji said.

"—just this time," Asuka said.

"Uh-_huh_…Okay," Gendo said, "Well, have fun, stay out of trouble, be safe, and all that 'blah, blah, blah, father stuff.'"

"Thanks, dad," Shinji replied.

Breakfast passed quickly and soon Shinji and Asuka were gearing up for a morning run. Shinji donned a pair of running shorts and a plain T-shirt. Asuka selected a pair of short athletic shorts and a sports bra. Before they made it out the door, the running pair had to hear their parents' comments.

"Asuka, _libeling_, you're _not_ wearing _that_ out in _public_, are you? It's very suggestive," Asuka's mother complained.

"Momma," Asuka said, frustrated, "we _aren't_ going to go through this _again_ are we? This is what I run in because it's comfortable and it keeps me cool.

"Let's go, Shinji," she added forcefully, turning to her boyfriend. Then, Asuka headed quickly out the door before her mother could respond further. Once Asuka and Shinji were out on the sidewalk, Shinji set his watch into stopwatch mode and got ready.

"On your mark," he said, "get set. Go!"

On the word "go", Shinji started his watch. He and Asuka set off at a run towards the park. When they got to the park, they stopped, and Shinji checked their time.

"Five minutes, thirty seconds," he read off, "Not too bad."

"How far did we come?" Asuka asked. She was breathing a little harder than Shinji was.

"Almost three-quarters of a mile," Shinji replied, "We still have room to improve, but this is a good start."

The next several days passed in this manner. Each day, Shinji and Asuka would push themselves a little bit harder. Slowly and surely, their times began to improve and their stamina increased. One day at school, though, Shinji and Asuka were both called to the principal's office.

"But we didn't _do_ anything," Asuka complained as they walked down the hall.

"I don't _think_ we're in trouble," Shinji reassured her. His assumptions were verified by the principal.

"You two aren't here because you've broken any rules," he said seriously, looking over his desk at them, "You're here because we've just been informed that Miss Soryu's father has escaped from police and is on the loose. We feel you two might be in danger."

"_Might_ be?!" Shinji demanded.

"Mein gott!" Asuka gasped, panic rising in her voice.

"What's being done?" Shinji asked.

"Mr. Ikari is going to take you both home at once," the principal answered, "After that, you'll have to decide for yourselves what course of action is best. The police are already engaged in a massive man-hunt for him. Please be safe, children. I will inform your teachers of your excusal."

"Thank you, sir," Shinji and Asuka replied simultaneously. Then, they got up and headed for the lobby, where they found Gendo waiting for them.

"Let's go," Gendo said intensely.

"Where's momma?" Asuka asked frantically as they headed for the car.

"She's waiting for us at the house, which is where we're headed right now," Gendo responded.

The trio piled into the car. Shinji sat in the back seat with Asuka. He wrapped his arms around her and held her close. Asuka was one of the toughest people that Shinji knew, but she was terrified of her father. The whole trip home, she trembled uncontrollably.

"Shinji take the bat," Gendo said, indicating a Louisville Slugger that was sitting in the front seat. When they reached the house, Shinji and Gendo got out of the car and walked up the walk to the front door.

"Be ready, Shinji," Gendo said. Then, he pushed open the door.

"Momma?" Asuka called.

"I'm here, _libeling_," she replied, "Gendo, I kept the door locked like you told me to. I unlocked it when I saw you coming up the walk, and then hid until I heard Asuka's voice."

Gendo nodded grimly. He turned to Shinji.

"Shinji, listen carefully," he said, "I know that track season is about to start, but I'd feel more comfortable if you and Asuka didn't go out running until the police recapture him."

"But, dad!" Shinji protested immediately, "We've _got_ to train!"

"I sympathize, son," Gendo said, "really I do. But as your father, I have to insist that you stay here."

"Dad, no," Shinji argued rebelliously, "I don't care if you want to ground me. I'm not afraid, and making the team is all that matters to me right now. I'm _going_ to _train_. Let him catch me if he can!"

There was an awkwardly long pause. Then Asuka spoke.

"I'm going with him," she said bravely.

"Over _mein_ dead body!" Asuka's mother said hotly.

"Momma, I agree with Shinji," Asuka said, "I'm _not_ going to give up training and sit at home scared because I _might_ run into my papa."

"I still don't think it's a good idea," Gendo said, "He's still a dangerous man."

"You think I don't know this?" Shinji demanded, "Jesus, dad, I spent a night in the hospital. The man nearly _strangled_ me!"

"And yet you _still_ don't have the brains to realize that you should be afraid of him," Gendo said heatedly.

"That's right, dad," Shinji retorted, "I guess I'm that stupid, because I only have brains enough to realize that the park is a public place where there would be too many witnesses! _No_body, not even a vengeful psychopath, would try to murder someone in those kinds of surroundings."

Gendo was silent, though his eyes burned hot with anger at his son's insolence. However, his ire was stifled and silenced by his son's ingenuity. He was proud of Shinji's dedication and his courage. Slowly, Gendo's anger dissipated.

"Shinji," he said, "I still don't like it, but you have my permission to continue training."

"Thank you, father," Shinji said.

"I have only three conditions," Gendo continued, "One, you must _not_ be out alone. You must have someone with you, for safety's sake."

"Asuka will go with me," said Shinji. Asuka nodded in agreement.

"That brings me to my second condition," Gendo said, "I can only give _you_ permission to go, Shinji. Asuka has to get permission from her mother in order to go."

"Please momma?" Asuka implored, "If _I_ can't go, then neither can _Shinji_, and we'll _both_ be cut from the team. We'll look out for each other, I promise."

Asuka's mother was silent for several long, tension-filled minutes. Then, she looked hard at Shinji. Her eyes were the same piercing shade of blue that Asuka's were.

"Do I have your promise that you'll protect my Asuka?" she asked, still staring Shinji in the eye.

"I would die for her," Shinji swore resolutely.

"Then, she has my permission to go," Asuka's mother said.

With an exclamation of relief, Asuka threw her arms around Shinji and hugged him tightly.

"Thirdly," Gendo said, drawing their attention back, "I want the two of you back _in this house_ _**absolutely**_ before dark. Are we clear on this?"

"Yes sir," Asuka replied.

"Crystal," Shinji answered.

"Good luck," Gendo said.

Three tense days went by. There was no sign or word on the whereabouts of Asuka's father. Everyone in the Ikari household grew tenser by the day. Shinji and Asuka managed to stay calm by concentrating on their running. Soon, the track season would start, and they would test their mettle against other competitors.

On the fourth day, Shinji and Asuka went out after school to run, like they had been doing. They had taken nearly two full minutes off of their run-time for a mile. Shinji was confident that he and Asuka would both be able to do well in their events.

"Hey, Asuka," he said while they were taking a break, "how about a race?"

"I don't know, Shinji-kun," Asuka replied, "Do you really think you stand a chance of winning?"

"'Do I stand a chance?'" Shinji snorted, "_That's_ not the question. The _question_ is: How badly am I going to beat you?"

"Ho ho, we'll see, won't we?"

"Yes, we will," Shinji said. Then, he scratched a line in the gravel across the width of the trail.

"Once around the main trail," Shinji said, "First one across the line wins."

"Sounds easy," said Asuka, "How about we make it more interesting? How about the winner gets a kiss from the loser?"

"You're on," Shinji said with a grin, "Ready? On your mark, get set, GO!"

Shinji and Asuka dashed off the mark. The course Shinji had selected was a mile and a half long. Shinji estimated that their race would last for about eight minutes. Asuka's lighter frame gave her the edge off the start. Shinji, however, quickly settled into a rhythm and began to overtake her. It was clear that Shinji was a long-distance runner while Asuka was a sprinter. Shinji passed Asuka and put on a little extra speed. The distance between them began to widen. Shinji kept his concentration on the path in front of him. Thus, he didn't see the man who jumped out and grabbed Asuka.

"Shinji!" she screamed.

Shinji heard the terror in her voice and skidded to a halt, turning as he did so. He saw Asuka being held down by a large man in a military uniform. It was her father. He had been hiding in the woods the whole time. Shinji didn't know what to do, but then Asuka screamed:

"Shinji, help me!"

Any trace of fear was instantly erased from Shinji's mind. Asuka needed him; that was all that mattered. The same protective instinct that had gripped him the first time took over again. Shinji charged full-tilt at the murderous man. Shinji took a wild chance and leaped into the air, intending to drop kick Asuka's father. Unexpectedly, Asuka's father caught Shinji by one of his ankles and executed a judo throw. Shinji was sent sprawling onto the gravel. Shinji heard a strangulated scream. Asuka was being throttled by her father.

_I can't handle this alone,_ Shinji realized.

"Help!" he yelled, scrambling to his feet, "Anybody! We're being attacked!"

After he finished shouting, Shinji bellowed a war cry and leaped at Asuka's father again. He wrapped his arms around the man's trunk-like neck and attempted to put him in a headlock.

"Let—her—go!" Shinji grunted, trying to wrestle Asuka's father away, "_I'm_ the one you want! I'm the bastard boyfriend, remember?"

Shinji felt a powerful hand grip his arm and pull. At the same time, Asuka's father threw his shoulders forward. The combination of these two motions sent Shinji flying through the air again. Shinji landed hard on his face. Despite the pain, Shinji crawled back to his feet.

"Come on!" Shinji taunted, "Is that the best you can do? Come and get me!"

"Wait your turn, kid," the criminal replied, "There's plenty of death to go around."

He turned his attention back to Asuka. She was still trying vainly to escape from her father's clutches. Shinji thought fast.

"Are you scared of me?" Shinji taunted, "Is that why you're picking on a girl? Because you're too scared to try and kill a man?"

That last taunt did the trick. With a snarl of rage, Asuka's father released her and leapt to his feet.

"Asuka, run!" Shinji yelled.

Before her father could grab her again, Asuka scrambled out of his reach and raced down the path. Her father started to chase her, but quickly gave up when he realized that he couldn't catch her. She was too fast. He turned his rage on Shinji.

"You're _history_ you little bastard!" he yelled. Then, he charged full-tilt at Shinji.

_Great work, genius_, Shinji thought as he turned to run, _you've got him _supremely _pissed off and there's no one for him to take it out on but you. Oh, I hope I'm faster than he is._

Shinji sprinted for his life. Close on his heels was an enraged psychopath intent on murdering him. Shinji's panic lent him speed and stamina, but the madman's longer legs gave him the advantage of stride length. Suddenly, a branch on the path became ensnarled between Shinji's fast-pumping legs.

_Oh, shit,_ Shinji thought as he flew through the air again, _I'm really fucked now. He's not going to get me without a fight!_

Shinji hit the ground and tucked into a roll. He came up just in time to see Asuka's father throw himself at Shinji. Shinji didn't think. He grabbed the man's wrists, put his feet into the man's chest and fell backwards, rolling with the large man's momentum. This move surprised Asuka's father as much as it sent him flying through the air. He landed with and audible "thud".

Shinji did a kip-up and wheeled to face the man. He had also recovered and had picked up a broken tree branch, which he was wielding like a club. He aimed swing after swing at Shinji. Shinji ducked and dodged, narrowly avoiding the rough, wooden weapon.

Shinji was caught unawares by a powerful side kick to his ribs. He was stunned and breathless, and Asuka's father took full advantage. He swung savagely with his cudgel, scoring hit after bruising hit. Shinji rapidly succumbed to this punishment and collapsed to the ground, awaiting the welcome relief of oblivion. Just before he started to black out, Shinji heard a man's voice.

"Get away from my son!"

_Dad?_

"Dad!" Shinji shouted.

Gendo rushed down the path wielding his Louisville Slugger. Asuka was hot on his heels. Asuka's father looked up just in time to see the bat swinging towards his face. He tried to avoid it, but the hard, wooden bat smashed into his right shoulder. The wild man howled with pain and rage. He and Gendo engaged in a strange duel. The two men swung and parried, blocked and attacked. If their weapons had been made of metal instead of wood, they might have looked like Samurai warriors locked in mortal combat.

Asuka's father scored a hit on Gendo's right knee; the formerly _injured_ right knee. Gendo dropped to the ground, dropping the bat and clutching his knee. Asuka's father laughed triumphantly and aimed a crushing blow at Gendo's head.

"Dad!" Shinji shouted. He dove for the bat, bringing it over his head just in time. With a crack that resounded through the trees and the sound of splintering wood, the flimsy club shattered against the hardened wood of the baseball bat.

"Shit," swore the maddened criminal.

"Oh, yeah," Shinji said, climbing to his feet, "you're in trouble now."

Shinji hefted the Slugger menacingly. Asuka's father narrowed his eyes. Shinji slowly stalked toward the man. Despite the pain in his legs from the beating, Shinji forced himself to walk without a limp. Asuka's father took an involuntary step back.

"Y-you're crazy, kid," he said, "You've got no hope of beating me, even _with_ you're silly little bat. I was trained by the army."

"Then why are you backing away?" Shinji asked, "Why do I see fear behind your eyes? Why don't you just come and get me?"

"You're…not worth it," Asuka's father said hesitantly.

"Oh, I'm not?" Shinji asked, "You came close to killing me when you were _drunk,_ was I worth it _then_? Or is it that you've lost your stomach for it?"

Shinji was deliberately baiting Asuka's father. He knew how unbalanced the man was and he knew that sooner or later, he would snap. Shinji was ready, every muscle in his body tensed to spring. A second voice joined Shinji's. It was Asuka's.

"You're pathetic, papa," she said, "I hate you."

"You hear that?" Shinji asked, "You've lost the love and respect of your only child. How much more are you willing to lose?"

"S-stop it!" the father yelled, "Shut up!"

"No, papa," Asuka said, gaining strength, "I won't shut up ever again, not unless _I_ choose to. I'm not afraid of you any more! You have no more hold over me!"

As Asuka unleashed 17 years of torment and abuse back on its source, Shinji stood and watched. Asuka was finally fighting back. He admired her rising courage and mounting strength. As she unloaded, Shinji heard sirens approaching. Asuka heard them as well.

"Hear that, papa?" she asked, "The police are here to capture you. They're going to put you away for a long time."

Asuka's father broke down completely. He collapsed to his knees and stared blankly at the ground. His jaw went slack, and then began to move. His mouth formed noiseless words. Shinji found himself feeling a small amount of pity for the broken man. The police came bursting through the trees, guns drawn.

"No!" Shinji said, throwing out his arms, "No! Don't rile him. He's docile now. I think he'll go without a fight."

"Keep your guns ready," one officer ordered, "but hold your fire unless forced to defend yourself."

The officer who spoke holstered his pistol and produced his handcuffs. He approached Asuka's father and reached for his wrist. The criminal's face suddenly snapped back to taut madness. In a blur of motion, almost too fast for the eye to follow, he stole the officer's pistol, grabbed his daughter, and held her in front of him with the gun under her chin. The other officers raised their guns, but couldn't risk a shot because of Asuka. Asuka was shaking with fear. She was beginning to hyperventilate in panic.

"Sh-Shinji-k-kun, h-help me," she whimpered.

"Shut up, bitch!" her father barked, "Drop your guns! Now! Throw them towards me and step back!"

The policemen didn't move.

"I'll kill her!" the criminal shouted, digging the barrel harder into Asuka's chin, "I swear, she'll die! Drop your fucking guns!"

"Please," Asuka begged, beginning to cry, "d-do as he says."

Shinji's thoughts raced.

_Okay,_ he thought, _now we've got problems. He'll do it, too. There's going to be no reasoning with him, but I've got to try to get Asuka out of danger._

"Take me, instead!" he shouted.

Asuka and her father both looked at Shinji. Asuka tried to shake her head, but her father's grip on her hair prevented her from doing that.

"You want to be a hero and take her place?" the father laughed mockingly, "All right, Mr. Hero, you got yourself a deal. You take her place, and I'll point my gun at _your_ head, instead."

"Give me your word that you won't harm Asuka," Shinji said.

"You got it," her father said.

Shinji dropped his bat and began to walk slowly towards Asuka's father. As soon as Shinji was close enough, the man pistol whipped Asuka, knocking her out, and grabbed Shinji's left arm in a chicken-wing hold. Shinji ground his teeth and growled with pain and anger.

"You—ahg—said you wouldn't hurt her," Shinji grunted.

"I lied," the man chuckled.

Shinji grunted with rage and tried to struggle. Asuka's father twisted harder on Shinji's arm. Shinji felt his shoulder hyper extending. Bone grated against bone. Shinji yelled in pain.

"You shouldn't have volunteered to take her place," Asuka's father growled in Shinji's ear, "You could have stayed clear and stayed alive for a little while longer. Now, I'm going to kill you. But first, I think I'll shoot my bitch of a daughter and make you watch!"

"Not—uhhn—today!" Shinji growled.

Before Asuka's father realized what happened, Shinji brought his leg up behind him and kicked the criminal right in the balls. At the same time, Shinji reached up and quickly grabbed the wrist of the gun-hand and pulled it away from his chin. As the gun moved away from Shinji's head, the man's hand tightened, and the weapon discharged. Shinji kept a tight grip on the man's wrist and swept his legs sideways, kicking Asuka's father's feet off balance. Shinji thrust his hip into the man's gut and pulled on his arm, executing a brilliant throw.

Asuka's father rolled with the throw and came up shooting. He fired wildly, catching one of the officers in his arm. The police returned fire. Asuka's father was riddled with 9mm slugs. He fell to the ground, dead as a doornail.


	10. Chapter 9

Chapter 9

Shinji had dived to the ground on top of Asuka's unconscious form to protect her when the bullets started flying. He watched her father fall with a mix of satisfaction and sadness. He wondered how sad Asuka would be that her father had been killed. Not very, he figured, given that her father had threatened to kill her several times. One of the police officers spoke into his radio.

"This is unit Metro one-two-zero, requesting an ambulance at Central Park and twenty second street, over."

"Roger, Metro one-two-zero," a female dispatcher's voice responded, "There's one en route to your twenty now, over."

"Copy, dispatch. Over and out," the officer said, and then turned to Shinji and said, "Are you all right?"

"I'm fine," Shinji said, "Asuka's been knocked out, but I think she'll be fine. I'll carry her home. Dad, are you okay?"

"I'll be fine once I take some aspirin and ice my knee for a while," Gendo said, "Could someone give me a hand up, please?"

One of the officers who was closest to Gendo pulled him to his feet. Gendo then limped over to Shinji, who was now also standing, and looked him squarely in the eyes. They stared at each other for almost a minute. They seemed to be unable to find the right words to say to each other. Finally, Gendo broke the silence.

"Good job, Shinji."

Shinji hesitated. He was on the horns of an emotional conflict, and wasn't sure how to respond.

"Dad," he said slowly, "I just…helped to get a man killed. Are you sure that what I did was so good?"

Gendo took a deep breath. He pondered how best to answer his son's question. Before he could say anything, though, Shinji spoke again.

"I wonder…what mom would have said about this. Would she have been as proud of me as you seem to be?"

"Shinji," Gendo said carefully, "I know you never really…_knew_ your mother, but please understand this: Yui would have been very proud of what you did here today. What you did was very noble, and you should be proud of yourself. I know _I'm_ very proud of you, and I always will be."

"Thanks, dad," Shinji replied quietly.

Shinji bent down and gathered Asuka into his arms. His shoulder burned from the strain, but he set his face, bit down the pain and lifted her up. He turned and strode resolutely toward home, ignoring the reporters who were beginning to gather. Gendo joined him, limping alongside his son.

The next day, Shinji walked into the kitchen to find his father reading the paper, as was usual. What wasn't usual was the headline on the front page. It read: "Heroic Highschooler Aids Police". Shinji snorted silently.

_Heroic,_ he thought, _right. I helped get a man killed. Yeah, that's _really _heroic. The only thing _I_ did was try to save Asuka from getting hurt._

"What's wrong, Shinji?" Gendo asked, looking up from the paper, "Is something troubling you?"

"I was…just thinking about yesterday," Shinji said slowly, indicating the paper.

"Oh, that," Gendo said, "Here."

Gendo handed Shinji the newspaper. Shinji found the main body of the article and began to read.

"_Shinji Ikari, 17, is being praised as a hero by city police for his role in the apprehension of escaped fugitive, former Colonel Zeppelin Soryu. Ikari, who declined to comment, was seen leaving the scene carrying the colonel's daughter, Asuka Langley Soryu. There have been confirmed rumors of Ikari's romantic involvement with Miss Soryu._

"_The police confirmed that Ikari and Colonel Soryu had encountered each other before, and that this previous encounter resulted in Soryu's arrest for assault, battery, and attempted murder. The police also confirmed that they had used Ikari and Soryu's daughter as 'bait' to flush out Colonel Soryu."_

"Those…those…_pigs_!" Shinji stammered angrily, "They used us as _bait_? They dangled Asuka and me like a worm on a hook just because they couldn't catch him _themselves_?! What were they thinking?"

"Keep reading, Shinji," Gendo said calmly. Shinji rolled his eyes and read on:

"_The police have publicly apologized for this tactic, but have insisted that it was the only way to find the man. They regret the injuries that were sustained by Ikari, his girlfriend, and his father, Gendo Ikari."_

Shinji read through the rest of the article. The officer who had been shot in the arm was mentioned. So was the hostage situation that ended in the shootout which resulted in the death of Asuka's father.

"…_the coroner pronounced him dead at the scene._"

Shinji finished reading the article and set the paper down on the table. He turned around and saw Asuka standing in the doorway.

"How are you feeling?" Shinji asked tentatively.

"My head hurts," Asuka grumbled. She had slept ever since Shinji had brought her home. It was no surprise to Shinji that she had awoken with a headache, after the hit she took.

"That'll pass," Shinji said, "Dad, how's your knee?"

"Fine," Gendo replied, "I'll ice it some more today after I get home from work."

When Shinji and Asuka got to school, they both encountered a wave of cheers. They got pats on the back, exclamations of praise and admiration, and Shinji even heard a few screams that sounded like proposals of marriage. He and Asuka smiled and waved politely, trying not to enjoy it too much.

"Why are they cheering for _me,_ Shinji-kun?" Asuka asked out of the corner of her mouth, "_You're_ the big hero."

"Yeah," Shinji said, "but without _you_, I'd have had no reason to be heroic, because I'd have had nothing to fight to defend."

"Shinji-kun…" Asuka said, blushing brilliantly.

Several of the teachers came out and tried to restore order; to no avail. Just one hour into the school day, the students were sent home.

"Hey," Shinji said as he and Asuka were walking, "you know what tomorrow is?"

"No, what?" Asuka asked.

"Tomorrow's the tryouts for track!" Shinji said, excitement building in his voice.

"Mein gott, you're right!" Asuka gasped, "Shinji, we're not ready!"

"Sure we are," Shinji said confidently, "I mean _you_ definitely are. You've been training all year, haven't you?"

"Yeah."

"Well, if anyone should be feeling nervous, it's _me_," Shinji continued, "I've only been training for about two weeks."

"Yeah, but you're a natural," Asuka protested, "I've been training all year and you can _still_ outrun me. I'm suddenly really worried that I won't make the team."

"You'll do fine, Asuka-chan," Shinji said bracingly, "You wanna go somewhere and work off your nerves?"

Asuka grinned at Shinji's mischievous question and the relatively innocent delivery of it.

"I'd love to, Shinji-kun," she replied, "but I think, right now, that I'd rather just go home and relax. Sorry."

"Oh, okay…" Shinji said, heaving a huge, false sigh. He and Asuka smiled at each other.

When they got back to the house, they were greeted by Gendo's surprised face. When he asked them why they were home so early, Shinji truthfully told him that his and Asuka's presence at school had caused total anarchy.

"…and none of the teachers could restore order, so they sent us home," Shinji concluded.

"Well, now that you're here," Gendo said, "what are you two planning on doing today?"

"Well…tryouts are tomorrow," Asuka said, "and I'm _really_ nervous about them."

"I'm sure you'll do fine," Gendo said honestly.

"That's what _I_ told her," Shinji chimed in.

"I know you're both right," Asuka said sheepishly, "but I'm still just…jittery, I guess. This is a big thing for me. I've wanted to do track for a long time."

"We were just planning on hanging out here today," Shinji said.

"That's fine," said Gendo, "I'm heading to work now, and Asuka, your mom left for work about ten minutes ago. So, just behave yourselves today, okay?"

"Sure thing, dad," said Shinji.

As Gendo headed out the door, Asuka and Shinji moved into the living room and stretched out on the couch together. Asuka picked up the remote and switched on the TV. She surfed the channels until she came to the movie channels.

"Hmm," she said, "I wonder what's on."

"Nothing _too_ girly, please?" Shinji yawned, "You know I can't stand chick-flicks."

"Well, what if I feel like _watching_ one?" Asuka asked defiantly, stopping on a gooey romance movie.

"I'd probably puke," Shinji said, yawning heavily again.

"Sounds more to me like you'd fall asleep." Asuka remarked, beginning to surf some more.

"I don't—yawn—know why I'm so tired all of a sudden," Shinji yawned, "I'm just rih—yawn—really relaxed…"

Shinji's eyelids drooped heavily and slid shut. Asuka found a movie she liked, and watched about five minutes of it before she, too, fell asleep. The couple slept, totally ignorant of the world around them as they drifted through a blissful slumber. The only thing that woke them was Gendo's voice, after what seemed to be only a few moments.

"Shinji? Asuka? I'm home," he called as he stepped in the door. Shinji's eyes snapped open.

"Dad?" he asked, confused, "What are you doing home so soon?"

"Soon?" Gendo repeated incredulously, "I'm home _late_."

"But, you just left," Shinji protested. Then, he stopped and looked around. It was getting dark outside, and the clocks all read 8 o'clock pm.

"8 pm?" Shinji asked, shocked, "Asuka and I slept through the entire day?"

"It would appear that way," said Gendo.

"I thought it best to just let them sleep," Asuka's mother said, walking in from the kitchen.

"So, what are we going to do now?" Asuka asked, "Going to bed seems kind of pointless when you aren't tired, and we'd suck big-time if we went to tryouts tomorrow without any sleep."

"That's true," Shinji agreed, "but I'm not that tired either."

"Well, you two could go out and sample some of the city's night life," Gendo suggested.

"You mean a club?" Asuka asked hopefully.

"I don't want to see you anywhere _near_ one of those places," Asuka's mother protested, "Those establishments turn good girls like you into whores!"

"Momma!" Asuka gasped, "Don't insult me like that! You know that Shinji's the only man for me!"

Asuka and her mother glared at each other. Shinji could almost see the sparks flashing between them. While Shinji tried to keep an open mind about things and see both sides of an argument, he did feel that Asuka's mother was being rather stifling. Asuka finally broke the silence and said:

"Shinji, let's go out tonight."

"Sounds like fun," Shinji said, "Where to?"

"Anywhere but here," Asuka said darkly.

"Asuka Langley Soryu, I _forbid_ you to walk out that door!" her mother shouted.

"Let them be," Gendo said quietly.

"What?!" Asuka's mother demanded.

"Let them be," Gendo repeated, firmly and clearly, "They're not children anymore, Kyoko, it's time to let them learn to be adults."

"But—but—," Kyoko stammered. She was feeling her control slipping away and was unable to regain it.

"We all know that it's dangerous out there," Gendo continued, "Perhaps Shinji and Asuka know this a little better than some others might, but that's no reason to stop them from enjoying themselves and having a night out together. They know how to use their common sense, right?"

"Right," Shinji and Asuka said together.

"Then, they both know what kind of situations to avoid," Gendo continued, "Kids, I want you to go out tonight and celebrate your impending acceptance onto the track team."

"Sure thing, dad," Shinji said. Then, looking at Asuka, he added, "Do you want to change before we leave?"

"Yeah," Asuka said, heading for the stairs, "I'll just be a minute."

Asuka came back downstairs a short time later. She had changed out of her school uniform and into something that, in Shinji's opinion, was much more exciting. She was now wearing a white miniskirt that showed off most of her legs, and a light blue spaghetti-strap shirt. Shinji could tell that she wasn't wearing a bra. Asuka's mother swelled with impotent rage.

"Okey-dokey, Shinji-kun," Asuka said brightly, "Shall we go?"

"Definitely," Shinji said. He opened the front door and made an exaggerated gesture of "ladies first".

"After you, _fraulein_," said Shinji.

"Oh," said Asuka with a girlish giggle, "_Danke, mein herr._"

They walked out the door and down the walk. Shinji was silent for a few minutes, and then spoke.

"Um, Asuka," he said.

"What's up, Shinji-kun?"

"Do you know any of the clubs around here?" Shinji asked.

"Well, no," Asuka replied, "As you saw, momma isn't too happy about me having a social life. My friend, Hikari, though—you know her, right?"

"She's the Class Rep, isn't she?"

"That's right," Asuka said, "Well, believe it or not, she's a wild child; a real party animal. She knows about _all_ of the city's clubs."

Asuka pulled out her cell phone and pressed one of her speed-dial keys.

"Hikari? It's Asuka. Got a question for ya: Which club would you _most_ recommend for a good evening's party?"

There was a pause as Asuka listened. When she spoke next, she sounded shocked.

"There's a night club _there_?" she asked, "No way! Okay. So, how do you get there? Uh-huh…_Ja_? What's the name? The Lighthouse Club? Okay. Oh, we will. Yeah. Bye, now!"

"So," Shinji asked, "Where's this Lighthouse Club?"

"Where do you _usually_ find lighthouses?" Asuka asked, "It's over by the bay!"

"The bayside district?" Shinji repeated, disbelieving, "Are you nuts?"

If there was one place that Shinji had always been told to avoid, it was the bayside district. According to Shinji's father, the people there were rude, rough-shod, and dangerous. The bars and establishments were supposed to be hideouts and havens of gangs and criminals.

"What's so bad about the bayside district?" Asuka asked.

Shinji went into a brief rant about everything his dad had told him about the bayside district. Asuka listened and when Shinji had finished, she flagged a cab and said:

"Look, Shinji-kun, I respect your dad and I love you, but don't you think you're being just a _little_ bit dramatic?"

She and Shinji climbed into the cab.

"Where to, folks?" the driver asked.

"The Lighthouse Club, please," Asuka said, "and step on it!"

The cab took off. Shinji picked up where he had left off.

"I don't know whether I'm being paranoid or not," he said, "All I'm saying is let's be a little cautious tonight, okay?"

"I'm _always_ cautious, Shinji-kun," Asuka said, somewhat unconvincingly. Ten minutes later, the cab pulled over to the curb.

"Here we are, folks," the cab driver said, "Da Lighthouse. Dat'll be $12.50."

After Shinji paid the driver, he and Asuka walked up to the door of the club. They were stopped by a large, muscular bouncer.

"Hold it," he said in a gruff, grunting voice, "Youse gotta be at least 16 ta geddin here."

Shinji and Asuka automatically reached for their student ID badges. The bouncer took them and examined them closely, as though trying to find some falsehood in them. He turned them over in his hands several times before handing them back to Shinji and Asuka.

"G'wan in, youse two," the bouncer said, opening the door, "Welcome ta da Lighthouse Club."

"Thanks," Shinji said.


	11. Chapter 10

Chapter 10

As soon as the door opened, Shinji and Asuka were greeted by heavy, thumping bass notes. The couple walked across the large, dimly lit room to a small, round table. A waiter in a tight, short sailor-suit walked over.

"Can I get you anything?" he asked.

Shinji, feeling creeped out, said: "Uh, no…thanks, I…think we're good."

"Okay," the waiter said in his sing-songy voice. Then he turned and glided away.

"Was he gay or something?" Asuka asked.

"Probably," Shinji said with a large shudder, "You'd almost _have_ to be to wear something like _that_."

Shinji looked around and saw several male patrons at neighboring tables checking Asuka out. Shinji felt his male protective reflex rising. He bit it down.

_I can't fault them for looking,_ he thought, _She _is_ dressed rather provocatively. As long as none of them tries to hit on her, we won't have any problems._

"Let's dance, Shinji-kun," Asuka said. Her voice brought Shinji's thoughts back to reality. Asuka reached out and grabbed Shinji by the wrist and began to pull him towards the flashing lights of the dance floor.

"Asuka, I have a confession to make," Shinji said, raising his voice so he could be heard over the loud music, "I've never been dancing before. I don't even know _how_ to dance."

"There's nothing to it," Asuka yelled back, "You just move with the music and let yourself go."

"But what if I make an ass of myself?" Shinji protested.

"Then we'd all laugh with you because we all make asses of ourselves sometimes," Asuka said, "Just relax and have fun, that's what we came here for! Don't worry about it."

Asuka began to sway and move with the beat of the music. Her hips popped and shook, her butt swayed, and her breasts bounced. Shinji watched her and began to feel very erotic, but still he hesitated to join in with her. He was too self-conscious in front of all these people he didn't know. They weren't alone on the dance floor and no one else was really paying any attention to them, but Shinji felt like everyone was staring at him and Asuka and watching their every move.

Asuka saw how uncertain Shinji seemed and decided to give his confidence a nudge in the right direction. She began to grind her body against Shinji. Slowly, Shinji's inhibitions began to disappear even as his arousal continued to grow. His hands found firm purchase on Asuka's undulating hips. His body began to move of its own accord, matching Asuka's postures with his own counter-postures. Shinji no longer heard the sounds of the music; he _felt_ them. He let himself get lost in the beat.

Suddenly, his contact with Asuka was broken. A tall man had taken Asuka by the arm and pulled her over to him. The man had long, dark hair that was bound back in a ponytail and a scruffy, unshaven face. His clothing would have been business appropriate if he didn't have the top button undone and his tie loosened.

Shinji watched the man's mouth move. He couldn't hear the words being said, but he could tell that this man was offering to buy Asuka a drink. This scruffy-looking guy was hitting on a girl who was easily ten years his junior. Shinji had a thought.

_I'll let it play out for right now and see how she handles it,_ he thought, _I'll stick close, but I won't interfere unless he starts pushing the envelope._

Asuka seemed to be lost in the mood of the music and party. She allowed herself to be led over to the bar, where they each took a stool. Shinji waited a few seconds, then walked over and sat down on the stranger's other side and listened.

"So, what's your name?" the stranger asked.

"Asuka," Asuka replied, not taking her eyes off of the stranger's, "What's yours?"

"My name is Ryoji Kaji," the man replied, taking Asuka's hand, "and I'm delighted to meet you, Asuka."

Kaji brought Asuka's hand to his mouth and kissed her knuckle.

"Oh, stop," Asuka giggled.

"Your words say stop, but the rest of you says something different," Kaji said seductively, "Especially your eyes."

"And just what are my eyes saying, Mr. Kaji?" Asuka asked.

"They're saying, 'Please Kaji, take me home with you'," said Kaji, beginning to kiss his way up Asuka's arm.

Shinji was about to act when Asuka protested.

"Mr. Kaji, I--," she began.

"Please, just call me Kaji," Kaji interrupted, continuing up her arm to her neck.

"Kaji, please, I have a—mmph!"

Shinji leapt to his feet. Kaji had just planted his mouth onto Asuka's. Shinji grabbed the man's shoulder and pulled him away.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?!" Shinji demanded.

"Oh, hello," Kaji said jovially, ignoring the enraged look on Shinji's face, "I was just talking to this lovely young lady."

"You were doing more than _talking_!"

"Well, she _did_ say 'please'," Kaji said.

"I was about to say 'I have a boyfriend'," Asuka said, coming out of her daze.

"Oh, you do?" Kaji asked.

"Yeah, she does," Shinji said, "_Me._"

"Oh," said Kaji, a surprised look crossing his features, "then I guess I'd better stop."

"Yeah, I guess you'd better," Shinji said tensely. Whoever this guy was, he was a real smooth-talker. With a shrug, Kaji stood up and walked down the bar to another girl who was sitting alone.

"Why didn't you act sooner?" Asuka asked.

"I wanted to see whether you could handle it yourself," Shinji replied.

"Well, normally I don't have a problem saying no to a guy," Asuka said, "There was just something about that Kaji. He was so…_seductive_. I could hardly resist."

"I noticed," Shinji grumbled, not meeting her eye.

"Shinji-kun, come on," Asuka pleaded, "don't be like that. I _wanted_ to say no to him, but I just…_couldn't_. Something about him just…I don't know…hypnotized me, I guess. But it's like I told momma, you're the only man for me. You believe me, right?"

Asuka turned Shinji's face toward her own as she finished. She looked imploringly into Shinji's eyes, desperate to hear him make an affirmation.

"Yeah," Shinji said, somewhat unenthusiastically, "of course I do."

_No,_ he thought at the same time, _I'm not sure I do._

Asuka looked devastated. Tears threatened to spill over and down her cheeks.

"Shinji-kun," she said weakly, "_please…_"

Shinji was silent for a few moments more. He wasn't sure what to feel. Asuka's apology and grief sounded earnest, yet the seeming ease with which Kaji had seduced her raised serious questions in Shinji's mind about her ability to stay faithful to him.

"We should get out of here," Shinji said finally, "Maybe this wasn't the best place for us to go tonight."

Asuka nodded vigorously and got up to follow Shinji towards the door. They passed a group of young men who took one look at the way Asuka was dressed and started making loud remarks about her tits and legs.

"Heyy, chica," one of the boys yelled, "How much do you charge for your company, baby? Whatever he's paying you, I'll _double_ it!"

Shinji had had enough. He wheeled around and started angrily towards the loud-mouth. Asuka grabbed frantically for Shinji's shoulders, but she missed. Shinji crossed the distance in two long strides and grabbed the loud young man by the front of his shirt and hauled him out of his chair. His breath reeked of alcohol and so did his clothes.

"Listen, you drunk bastard," Shinji snarled, putting his face right up in the stranger's, "I don't know who you are, and frankly, I don't _give_ a shit, but when I hear somebody talk about my girlfriend like that, I tend to lose my temper. This hasn't been the greatest evening for me so far, and you're not making it any better, so sit the _fuck_ down, shut the _fuck_ up, and leave us alone!"

When he finished speaking, Shinji shoved the loud-mouth back down into his chair, which fell over. The loud-mouth was sent sprawling across the floor. The other boys sitting at the table all jumped angrily out of their seats and ran at Shinji.

"Asuka, get away from here!" Shinji shouted. Then, the four boys all plowed into him, knocking him to the floor. They began punching and kicking every part of Shinji they could reach.

"Hey! Hey!" a male voice shouted, "Break it up, there! Break it up!"

Strong hands, belonging to several bouncers, pulled the boys off of Shinji and held them back. He was a little sore and _very_ embarrassed, but otherwise unhurt. He looked up at the man who was standing over him. It was Kaji. He held a hand down to Shinji, who took it. Kaji pulled Shinji to his feet.

"Thanks," Shinji said, "I could have handled it."

"I'm sure you could have," Kaji said amiably, "but this was a much more expedient course of action." 

Then, turning to the bouncers who were restraining Shinji's attackers, he added: "Gentlemen, I think these boys were just about to leave for the night. Would you please escort them to the door and make sure they get on their way safely? Thanks so much."

The bouncers pushed the troublemakers toward the exit. Shinji stood in silence for a few moments. Asuka rushed up and wrapped her arms around Shinji's neck.

"Are you okay?" she asked, looking concerned.

"I'm fine," Shinji said reassuringly, "Nothing busted but my pride. Like I told Kaji, I could have taken them. They were too shit-faced to hit me very hard."

"That's good to know," Asuka said, "Weren't we about to leave?"

"Yeah, I guess we were."

"Well, I guess we'll see you later," Kaji said, "It was nice meeting the two of you. Drop by again anytime."

"It was nice meeting you, too, Kaji," Asuka replied.

"Yeah, nice," Shinji agreed.

Shinji and Asuka walked out into the cool night air. It felt refreshing after the warm, stifling confines of the club. Asuka was about to flag a cab when Shinji stopped her.

"It's a nice evening, Asuka," he said, "Let's walk home."

"That's almost 20 blocks!" Asuka gasped, "And it's after dark! Aren't you worried about muggers?"

"Not really," said Shinji honestly, an air of indifference in his voice. Then, seeing the concern on Asuka's face, he added, "Well, I mean, look at the things we've seen and faced in the past three days: A psychopathic killer, bent on killing both of us, a smooth-talking ladies' man who nearly seduced you, and, about a minute ago, a group of drunken brawlers who insulted _you_ and attacked _me_. Honestly, I'm not too worried about anything anymore, least of all some street-level hood saying 'Gimme yer wallet!'"

As Shinji said this, he pantomimed a gun with his thumb and forefinger and pointed them at Asuka, while exaggerating his voice. Asuka laughed despite herself at Shinji's clownish antics. The couple began walking up the street towards home.

They reached Shinji's house half an hour later after an uneventful walk. Shinji was on edge the entire trip, but with Asuka holding his arm, he stayed relaxed. Shinji quietly opened the door, not wanting to wake either of their parents. He listened hard; everything sounded quiet.

_Wait,_ Shinji thought, _what's that? Is it…? Yep, that's dad snoring. Yeesh, he sounds like a rusty chainsaw._

"Come on," Shinji whispered. He and Asuka tip-toed down the hallway to Shinji's bedroom.

"Do you think our parents will mind?" Asuka whispered once they were safely in Shinji's room.

"Do you really _care_ what they think?" Shinji asked in response.

"Not really," Asuka whispered, grinning evilly, "I was just asking if you think they'll be pissed that we're sleeping together."

"Well, dad's pretty mellow about our relationship," said Shinji, "I mean, he told us to go out on our own tonight, for Christ's sake. Your _mom,_ on the other hand…well…"

"We won't go there," Asuka said. Then, she beckoned to Shinji, winking as she did so.

"Come here, sexy," she whispered.

Shinji stepped up to Asuka and put his arms around her waist. Asuka wrapped her arms about Shinji's neck and kissed him deeply. Shinji groaned as his body reacted instantly to his arousal.

Shinji slid his hands up and down over Asuka's back. He let them drift down, and then up under the bottom of Asuka's miniskirt. He squeezed Asuka's firm, athletic butt, feeling no panties. He wondered for a brief moment if Asuka had not worn any, but then his hands encountered the thin, string-like waistband of her thong. Shinji hooked his thumbs into this waistband and tugged gently, feeling the tiny garment slide down. Asuka moaned into Shinji's mouth as he continued to grope and feel her.

Asuka pulled away and frantically peeled her tank-top over her head and threw it aside. Shinji smiled; she had, indeed, not been wearing a bra. Asuka then proceeded to tear at the buttons on Shinji's shirt.

Once Shinji's chest was exposed, Shinji peeled himself out of his shirt while Asuka got down and attacked the fastenings of his pants. Within a few seconds she had them open and down around Shinji's ankles. His boxers soon followed, leaving Shinji naked, while Asuka still had her skirt on.

"Going dancing tonight has left me _really_ horny," Asuka purred sensuously, "and I've still got lots of energy."

"I think I can help with that," Shinji growled in return. Since Asuka was already on her knees, Shinji grabbed a handful of her thick, red tresses and pulled her face forward. Asuka happily opened her mouth to accept Shinji's cock. With a hum of pleasure, Asuka bobbed up and down on Shinji's boner, swallowing him repeatedly. Shinji sighed as Asuka pleasured him.

_I love the way she sucks my cock,_ Shinji groaned mentally, _I could stand here all night and let her go down on me, but I really want to work her over tonight._

Shinji pulled his dick out of Asuka's mouth. Asuka tried to clamp her lips back around the pulsing member, but Shinji still had a grip on her hair and held her at bay. She moaned pleadingly.

"What's the matter, Asuka-chan?" Shinji whispered seductively, "Do you want this cock?"

"Yes!" Asuka whimpered desperately, "I need your cock in me so _badly_!"

"Are you prepared to obey my every command?" Shinji asked.

"Anything," Asuka whispered weakly.

"Good," Shinji said with satisfaction, "Now, stand up and take off your skirt."

Asuka hastened to obey, leaping to her feet and yanking her skirt down to her ankles. Shinji knew exactly how his room was set up. He knew that his room was very sound absorbent, meaning it didn't leak noise very well. Many times he had come home from a particularly bad day of school, gone up to his room, and had put on loud music. Only a few times, because of the sheer vibrations the noise was creating, did his father ever tell him to turn it down.

"Now," Shinji said, his voice a little louder, "bend over the bed. You were a very bad girl tonight, Asuka. You need to be punished."

Asuka whimpered with delight at the mention of the word "punishment". She wasn't sure _why_ she liked the idea of being controlled and punished, _especially_ when she had been abused by a drunken father for most of her life. Still, the fact remained that she was excited by the idea of her boyfriend controlling and spanking the hell out of her for her so-called "badness".

"What are you going to do to me, master?" Asuka asked, getting into her role.

"You will speak only when I tell you to," Shinji hissed, taking a firm grip of Asuka's hair, "Now bend over."

Asuka obeyed, leaning over and placing her hands on Shinji's bed. Her ass was now fully exposed to her new master. Shinji stepped boldly up to Asuka's backside and placed his hands firmly on her hips. Asuka shivered with a thrill of anticipation. Shinji began to stroke his hands over Asuka's lower back and plush butt. Asuka moaned softly and pushed her ass back against Shinji's roaming hands.

"Don't get greedy, Asuka," Shinji said, holding her at bay, "Do you want your punishment now? Speak."

"Yes, master, please," Asuka moaned, "Punish me now!"

Without a word or warning, Shinji swiftly raised his right hand and brought it back down with a soft "thwack" that echoed in Shinji's silent room. Asuka jumped at the impact and her eyes widened with shock, but she kept her gasp of surprise silent.

"Did that feel good?" Shinji growled, "Nod or shake your head."

Asuka nodded.

"It did?" Shinji asked, his voice full of disdainful surprise, "You _liked_ it? You're not supposed to _enjoy_ your punishment, Asuka. I'll just have to do it harder. What do you think? Speak."

"Master," Asuka said, not looking at him, "If you spank me much harder, it will make too much noise."

"My room is very sound resistant, Asuka," Shinji said confidently, "I could make a lot more noise with you and still not have to worry about you being heard. But I think you might be right. I really don't think I want to spank you with my hands. That takes too much effort to inflict the amount of punishment you deserve. Wait here, Asuka. Don't move, and don't you dare turn around or look at me."

Shinji broke his contact with Asuka and walked across the room. Asuka remained bent over, showing off her bare ass and obediently awaiting her master's return. While she waited, staring down at Shinji's bed, Asuka reflected.

_Shinji's paying me back for teasing him that first time I took him to my special place in the park,_ she thought, _I thought that I'd enjoy being in control, but…I really like _being _controlled, instead. I hope we make this a regular part of our sex life._

Asuka's thoughts were interrupted when she felt something cool and smooth sliding across her lower back. It felt fairly thin and almost as though it was made of flexible plastic or even leather.

"Do you know what this is, Asuka?" Shinji asked softly, "Nod or shake your head."

Asuka shook her head slowly. She did this in the hopes that Shinji would make her look to confirm her suspicion. She thought she already knew what it was, but wanted her master to make her look and confirm it.

"Turn your head and look," Shinji directed.

Asuka craned her neck and glanced over her left shoulder. She saw Shinji holding the belt from his pants. Asuka shuddered with timid anticipation. She had been right. As Asuka watched, Shinji rolled up his belt until there were only about 12 inches left unrolled. He began stroking this improvised lash against Asuka's ass, and then stopped.

"Face the wall, Asuka," Shinji ordered.

Asuka turned back around and stared at Shinji's bedroom wall. Shinji stepped away again.

_Where's he going now?_ Asuka thought petulantly, _Why won't he quit teasing me? Wait, what's--?_

Asuka jerked with surprise as Shinji tied a bandana over her eyes.

"What's the matter, Asuka?" Shinji asked with mock concern, "Does this surprise you? Speak."

"Yes master," Asuka whimpered, "May I ask why you have blindfolded me?"

"No, you may not," Shinji said imperiously, "but if you _must_ know, I don't want you to know when or where the whip is going to _strike_ you."

Shinji punched the word "strike" because, as he said that word, he brought his belt sharply down onto Asuka's right flank. Asuka yelped with surprise and pain as the lash sent a red-hot sear of pain lancing though her flesh. Despite the intense pleasure this gave her, it still hurt more than it pleasured her. Shinji grabbed Asuka's hair and pulled her head back.

Shinji raised the lash again and waited. He could see Asuka tensing up, waiting for the next strike. He smiled to himself. He would wait until Asuka started to relax, then, and only then, when she wasn't expecting it, would Shinji flog her again. Shinji saw his chance. He brought the belt whooshing down towards it target, scoring a resounding "crack" on Asuka's left ass cheek. Asuka yelped again and then whimpered softly in pain. Both of the lash strikes left a red stripe on Asuka's skin where they made contact.

"Something wrong, Asuka?" Shinji asked, "Tell me."

"Please, master," begged Asuka, "no more. It hurts too much."

Shinji softened slightly.

"I am not without compassion, Asuka," Shinji said magnanimously, "Your punishment is done. You may remove your blindfold and speak freely now."

"Thank you, master," Asuka said gratefully, pulling off the loosely-tied blindfold, "May I continue sucking your cock now?"

"Not yet, Asuka," Shinji said, "First, I want you to lie down on the bed. I'm going to make _you_ cum long and hard before I allow you to drink my cum."

Asuka let out a shuddering moan of anticipation as she moved to obey Shinji's command.


	12. Chapter 11

Chapter 11

As soon as Asuka was lying comfortably on Shinji's bed, Shinji climbed up and pushed Asuka's head to one side. He licked gently at her ear lobe, and then took it between his teeth, tugging gently. Then, he growled in her ear through his teeth:

"This is not going to be over quickly. You're going to enjoy this." (A.N.: Note the paraphrased line from _300_. This…is…EVAAAAA!)

Shinji released her ear and moved down to Asuka's crotch. He slid his hands up the inside of Asuka's thighs and held her legs open. Shinji began kissing his way down over Asuka's flat stomach, drawing coos and sighs from the beautiful red-head. When Shinji reached the area just above Asuka's pubic mound, he moved his mouth to one side and began licking along either side of her womanhood. Asuka squirmed and moaned pleadingly.

"Please, master," she moaned, "Please stop teasing me!"

Shinji smiled and moved up away from Asuka's pussy. He mounted her and leaned over her. As he did so, the head of Shinji's pulsing cock lightly brushed against the soaked entrance to Asuka's honey-hole. Asuka gasped and shuddered at the contact. Shinji grinned evilly. He grabbed his shaft and began sliding the head of his cock up and down the entrance of Asuka's pussy. Asuka squirmed and writhed helplessly under her master.

"You're already enjoying this, aren't you?"

"Yes, master, yes!" Asuka gasped in response, "Please, master Shinji, fuck me with your rock-hard pole!"

"Are you sure you're ready?" Shinji asked teasingly.

Asuka could only whimper in response. Shinji chuckled softly at her begging.

"That's good, Asuka-chan," Shinji growled, "Open your legs wider so that you can accept me fully."

"Yes, master," Asuka hissed, already deep in ecstasy. She pulled her knees up until they were pressed against her soft mounds, and then she opened them apart until they were almost flush against the bed sheets.

"Well, aren't you flexible," Shinji mused, settling himself against the entrance of Asuka's pussy. Asuka's pussy was literally dripping all over Shinji's sheets, and it seemed to be begging "_Take me! Do it now!_" Shinji's cock seemed to echo it, shouting inside his head, "_Yes, yes! Now!_"

With a grunt, Shinji pushed inside of Asuka's drenched folds. Her pussy was so wet it offered little, almost no resistance to Shinji's initial thrust. As soon as Shinji's large phallus penetrated her womanhood, Asuka nearly screamed with pleasure. Shinji clamped a firm hand over her mouth to muffle the sound. Shinji wasted no time, immediately beginning to build up a slow rhythm.

Shinji kept one hand over Asuka's mouth, but with the other, he grabbed and tweaked at her nipples, bringing even more gasps and moans from his love-slave. He began to increase his tempo and intensity. He had to remove his hands from Asuka in order to give himself support and leverage.

"Asuka," he growled as he continued to hump her, "I want you to keep it quiet. Make no more noise than you were earlier, understand?"

"Yes, master!" Asuka murmured happily, "Oh, god, give it to me! Please, master, give it to me harder!"

Shinji thrust as hard as he could without making the bed thump against the wall. Asuka seemed satisfied at this pace for a while, but then she began to request more.

"Come with me, Asuka," Shinji panted, disengaging from her.

Asuka rolled off the bed and followed Shinji over to his computer desk. Shinji sat down in the chair and pulled Asuka onto his lap. Asuka instantly straddled him and guided his manhood back into her. She gasped happily as Shinji's hard meat re-stretched her tight pussy.

Asuka began to ride Shinji hard. With every bounce she made, Asuka gasped as Shinji's pole penetrated her. Asuka began to pant and moan heavily. She hitched forward and wrapped her arms around Shinji's neck. She panted in his ear as her body reached its peak. Shinji felt Asuka's inner muscles squeeze his cock tightly and her body shudder as a tremendous orgasm ripped through her.

"_Aaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhh!!_" Asuka sighed deeply. She slumped heavily against Shinji and rested for a few seconds.

"Now, Asuka," Shinji growled, "get down on your knees and finished what you started earlier. Suck your master until he cums."

"With pleasure, master," Asuka sighed.

Asuka slid off of Shinji's lap and kneeled between his legs. She said to hell with the preliminaries and took Shinji's staff all the way down her throat in a single gulp. Shinji almost jumped out of his chair as the sensation sent a large jolt up his spine. Asuka swallowed him repeatedly in rapid succession, bringing Shinji to the brink in what seemed to be no time at all.

"Here it comes, Asuka," Shinji groaned, "Your reward for being a good girl tonight!"

With a grunt and a large growl of release, Shinji unloaded into Asuka's hungry mouth. He blasted his seed deep into her throat; too fast for her to swallow. Shinji's spunk began to flow out of Asuka's mouth and onto her perky nipples. Asuka swallowed what she could, and then pulled back and let the rest splatter all over her tits.

"Mmnh, thank you, master," Asuka sighed, smiling contentedly, "What shall we do next?"

"How about we go to bed?" Shinji suggested rhetorically, "We have a very busy day tomorrow."

"Yeah, we do," Asuka said, returning to her normal state and wiping herself off, "Still, tonight did help to relieve my nerves. Thank you, Shinji-kun."

"Anytime, Asuka-chan," Shinji replied, climbing into bed.

"Shinji?" Asuka said, climbing in next to him and cuddling up close, "Good luck tomorrow."

"Same to you Asuka."

The two teens fell asleep and slept soundly through the rest of the night. They were awakened early the next morning by Shinji's alarm clock. Shinji rolled over and shut it off. When he looked back over his shoulder, he saw that Asuka had not been bothered by it at all. Shinji smiled.

_She's so incredibly beautiful,_ he thought, taking in Asuka's sleeping form, _I hope I didn't tire her out _too_ terribly much last night. I don't want her to do poorly today because of lack of energy. I should wake her._

"Asuka," Shinji said gently, nudging her shoulder, "It's time to wake up, angel-face."

"Mmnn, do me a favor, Shinji," Asuka yawned, "Don't ever call me 'angel-face' or anything that corny ever again. I heard the stupid alarm clock; I just decided to ignore it."

"Aha," said Shinji, "I see. Well, we need to get up and get around. Try-outs start at 9:30, sharp. We need to get up and get a good breakfast so that we're ready."

"Yeah, yeah, okay," Asuka groaned, sitting up. As she did so, the covers slid away, re-exposing her naked flesh to the air. Her nipples instantly became pert and perky and stood out boldly from her globes. Shinji allowed himself a lecherous look at this early morning beauty before throwing Asuka one of his larger, baggier T-shirts to throw on until she got into her running gear. The pair walked downstairs into the kitchen to find Gendo and Kyoko both sitting at the table waiting for them.

"Did you kids have a good evening?" Gendo asked.

"Yeah, it was fun," Shinji replied.

"We'll have to get out and do it more often," Asuka added. Her mother grunted unenthusiastically at this.

"What are you two going to do about breakfast?" Gendo asked cheerfully, "I know how important it is to eat a strong breakfast before a big-deal track event, so how about I make you what _I_ always had before a meet?"

"Sounds good, dad," Shinji answered, "What're we having?"

"I always had scrambled eggs, sausage, toast and fresh orange juice before my big meets," said Gendo. He was more excited than the kids were about the try-outs.

"I already _had_ some sausage last night," Asuka muttered under her breath, leaning in close to Shinji's ear. Shinji flushed a little bit pink at this comment, but hoped no one noticed.

"So, are you coming to watch the try-outs this morning, dad?" Shinji asked.

"You bet your ass I am," Gendo replied from the kitchen, "I wouldn't miss this for the world! My only son, carrying on the Ikari family track legacy, god, you make me so proud just _thinking_ about it."

Shinji flushed a brilliant red at his father's words.

_He's got so much confidence in me,_ Shinji thought, suddenly nervous, _I hope to God I don't let him down._

"Don't get so nervous, Shinji-kun," Asuka giggled, reading Shinji's face and nudging him in the ribs, "It's just high school track."

"You're one to talk miss 'We're not ready, I'm so nervous!'" Shinji retorted.

"Oh, drop it," said Asuka, "I was just picking."

Gendo walked back into the dining room 15 minutes later carrying a huge breakfast tray heavily laden with food.

"Here we are," he said, "Protein for muscle, carbs and fruit for energy. Don't eat too much, but don't eat too little, either."

"Dad," Shinji broke in, "We'll be fine, okay? Honestly, you seem to be more excited and nervous about this than _we_ are."

"I'm sorry, son, it's just…I had always hoped your mom would be here to see you succeed like this."

Shinji stared quietly at the food on his plate, suddenly not very hungry. That feeling of depression faded into the background quickly, however.

"Well," Shinji said with mock bravado, "we haven't succeeded _yet_…"

"But you will," Gendo said confidently, "I know you will; both of you. You're great athletes. I know you can do it."

"Thanks, Mr. Ikari," Asuka said brightly. Then, she dug hungrily into the food on her plate.

She and Shinji ate quickly and lightly. In what seemed like no time at all, the pair were clearing the table of their dishes and heading back upstairs to get changed. Shinji and Asuka came back down wearing their usual running clothes. Asuka's mother rolled her eyes again at Asuka's choice of dress, but kept her mouth shut.

"We're off," Shinji announced.

"We'll be there soon," Gendo replied, "Good luck you two."

"Thanks, dad," Shinji replied.

"Asuka, dear," her mother called, "_Guten lachen!_" (A.N.: German for "good luck")

"_Danke,_ momma," Asuka replied. Then, she and Shinji turned and left for the try-outs.

"You know, something just occurred to me," Asuka said after they had been walking for a little bit.

"What's that, Asuka?" Shinji asked.

"Why are they having try-outs?" Asuka asked, "Ms. Noguchi said we made the team, didn't we?"

"Yeah, she did," replied Shinji, "I guess they must be try-outs to see who's going to be best at which event, or something like that."

"Oh, okay," Asuka said, "Here we are."

There they were, indeed. They had reached the school's athletic field, and they weren't the first to arrive. There were already twenty other students, as well as several trainers, already on the field, stretching and warming up. Asuka and Shinji found a fairly open area on the field and began to do their own stretching. At precisely 9:30, the P.A. system of the field rang out with Ms. Noguchi's voice.

"Welcome to placement try-outs," she said, "Any runners interested in doing the 100 meter sprint should follow Mr. Takashi to the track right now."

A thin, dark-haired man raised his hand to indicate his presence.

"Any field athletes interested in doing the javelin should follow Ms. Yung to the side field at this time."

A young woman with light brown hair indicated herself.

"Well, Shinji-kun," Asuka said, "this is my event."

"Give 'em hell, Asuka-chan," Shinji said, smiling and winking at her.

"You, too, sexy boy," Asuka replied.

Shinji, however, had to wait for a little while before he had a chance to do anything, so he went to watch the 100 meter sprinters. Mr. Takashi had the runners line up in groups of five and race to the finish. The winners of each group were chosen to be in the event. Shinji was pleased to see that Asuka won her group's race. Out of the 20 people who tried, four were chosen. The four second-place runners were chosen as backup runners.

"Runners for the 1600 meter run should report to the track at this time," Ms. Noguchi announced.

_That's me,_ Shinji thought, _Let's do this._

Shinji joined eleven other young men and women at the track's starting line. They were divided into groups of four and placed on the starting lines. Shinji was in the second group, so he decided to stretch and warm up a little bit more before his turn. Suddenly, he felt apprehensive. All of the students here had made the team, but those who hadn't won their races were forced to choose another event. Shinji wasn't sure if he could do that. He would have to win, he had no other choice.

As the runners in the first group started off, Shinji happened to look up into the stands. He saw, sitting down near the front, his father and Asuka's mother. He had no idea how long they had been sitting there, but he felt even more nervous that his father would be watching his race. What if he didn't win? How could he face his father, knowing that he had let him down?

_Stop thinking like that,_ Shinji told himself firmly, _If you think like that now, you'll lose for sure. Get your head in the race!_

Shinji focused on the task ahead of him. He looked around at the other runners in his group. There was a tall boy, a boy about Shinji's own height, and another boy who was a little bit broader than any of the other three.

_Hmm,_ Shinji thought, _The boy my height doesn't look that strong in the legs, I don't think he'll be much of a problem. The broad one looks a little stronger, but he's too bulky to be too fast. It's the tall one that I'm concerned about. He's thin, but I see lots of ropey muscles underneath the surface. He'll have a good burst of speed off of the start._

As Shinji finished his mental analyses, the first group of runners came across the finish line. Mr. Takashi made a few marks on his clipboard.

"Group Two line up at your marks!" he called. Shinji and the other three in his group took their places.

"On marks!" Takashi shouted.

Shinji's features hardened into a grim mask of determination.

"Runners set!"

_Make me swift,_ Shinji prayed silently.

TWEET Takashi blew a blast on his whistle to start the runners.

The second group burst off of the starting line. Shinji's prediction proved correct. The tall boy burst quickly into the lead, followed initially by the broad-shouldered boy. Shinji quickly overtook the boy his own height and left him behind. He gained steadily on the two leaders, and soon he was passing the broad-shouldered lad. Now it was just him and the tall one.

The other two runners fell into the dust as Shinji and the tall runner gained ground. For all the two of them cared, there was no one else in the world but them. Each was determined to best the other. Shinji brought himself up neck and neck with his tall rival. The finish line drew nearer and nearer. Shinji felt his heart banging against his ribs. His breath came is bursting gasps. The finish line was very near now.

_Desperation time,_ Shinji thought. He put everything he had left into a burst of speed that sent him just far enough ahead of his rival that Shinji broke the tape first, winning his spot on the long-distance team. The crowd around the track burst into cheers and applause.

Shinji, however, could not hear them. All he could hear was his blood pounding in his ears. His legs kept trying to run even as they gave out underneath his exhausted body. Shinji collapsed to the ground, nearly unconscious. All of his strength was gone, but his limbs twitched from the overexertion. He could only gasp desperately for air, even as the trainer came and fastened an oxygen mask over his face.

_I won,_ Shinji thought faintly, _Was it worth it, though? I feel like I'm dying. My body's so weak…_

Shinji's vision swam. Swirling images laced with black filled his eyes. He saw a blurry outline of Asuka and tried to reach out to her. His arm wouldn't move. It felt like there were lead weights attached to his limbs.

Slowly, ever slowly, the pounding in Shinji's head decreased and his vision began to clear. He began to take steadier, slower breaths and his heartbeat ceased to be a jackhammer rhythm, changing back to a slightly elevated pitter-patter.

"I'm…alive…?"

"Luckily, yes," Gendo replied.

Shinji was lying on the ground with his head cradled gently in Asuka's lap. Shinji pulled the oxygen mask off of his face. It suddenly felt stifling.

"What happened?" Asuka asked, "One minute he was running strong, and the next…"

"I'm on the ground half dead?" Shinji finished for her, "Easy answer: I pushed myself _way_ too far beyond my limits."

"I'm glad you recognize it, son," Gendo said, "Don't scare us like that ever again."

Then, he leaned down closer to his son's head and whispered in his ear.

"So, how'd it feel to let yourself go like that? How'd it feel to give a race everything you had?"

"It felt…felt great, dad," Shinji replied weakly, "I'm beyond pooped right now, but it's a good sort of exhaustion, you know? I feel like I've really accomplished something."

Gendo nodded, a fatherly smile adorning his features. Asuka caressed the side of Shinji's face affectionately.

"Where's the tall, skinny guy who almost beat me?" Shinji asked.

"Here I am," the boy answered.

"What's your name?"

"Akiri Ichibo," the boy answered, "and you, of course, are the legendary Shinji Ikari. I have to say, it was an honor getting my butt kicked by a living legend."

"No, no," Shinji said, waving his hand, "the honor was _mine_. You were the first runner to push me to the brink. I hope you won't be the last."

Shinji shook hands with his new friend. Together, the two of them would make the single greatest long-distance relay team in the history of their school. Shinji graduated from highschool with a full track scholarship and planned to go on to Tokyo University to continue his studies. He took a sabbatical from his studies, however, when he was approached by a man who offered him a spot on Japan's Olympic team. Shinji, eager to fulfill his father's legacy, accepted, and won a silver medal in the following Summer Games in the Cross-Country race.

Shinji and Asuka were married a few years later in a small, simple ceremony. They would take the time together to raise three healthy children. As soon as they took their first steps, Shinji suspected that there would be a third generation of Ikari track runners coming up to the line.

Fin.


End file.
